Get with the Program.

Our clients are often surprised by the start time of our ceremonies – for those used to getting to the church for midday or 2pm, our guest arrival at 4:30 could seem like the day is over before it begins!  But there is method to the madness – in fact, our program structure has evolved over the years, taking various elements into account to make the winning formula for a tropical beach wedding.

 

First and most importantly of all – the hot, hot heat.  It’s hard to imagine from home what the heat and humidity is like here and it is not to be underestimated.  Consider that your guests will come smartly dressed, and that they’ll be out in the sun from the minute they get off the air-conditioned minibus… it’s a celebration, so there’ll be plenty of booze thrown in too.  Your guests (and our staff) would be like a group of wilting daisies before long if they were to arrive at 2pm!  Starting later in the afternoon means the sun is lower and less intense and the temperature is a more bearable.  

If people turn to wilting daisies in the sun, what about the daisies themselves?!  We have seen that setting up in the full heat of the day can be a disaster.  No bride wants to walk onto a beach decorated with limp, droopy flowers – our later start means everything stays fresh and looking fabulous.

Photography is such a major factor for couples that it plays a big part in the timing of the day.  As much as the sun is hot, it is also dazzlingly bright and this is problematic for photographers.  Too much light means over-exposed photos, so the 5pm ceremony start is necessary.  There are 4 hours of photography included in our packages, and we don’t believe in forcing our clients to spend extra so we’ll do our best to keep all major events within this coverage time.  A 5pm ceremony means sufficient time for a photo session before sunset.  As standard, we schedule the fire lantern release, first dance and cake cutting before dinner so that these key moments are captured on camera.  Of course, if you prefer for these things to take place after dinner you have the freedom to move them but remember to think about the photography – additional hours are an option if you do want to (literally) buy yourselves more time!  

If you choose to splash out on fireworks, these will be launched before dinner.  There are strict regulations on fireworks on Lipa Noi beach and we have special agreements with our neighboring resorts and local residents, whom we would never want to upset. 

Sunset is earlier in the later part of the year, so we will schedule our November and December weddings to begin an hour earlier, so there’s still enough time to fit everything in before light is lost. 

If you are having a Buddhist blessing, this will take place at 4pm.  Normally, in a Thai wedding, the monks’ blessing is early in the morning – however, as this would mean an excruciatingly long day for you and also because the monks must be back at the temple before sunset, we have ours just before the beach ceremony.  Due to the heat at that time, the Buddhist blessing takes place under the wooden sala and not on the beach.  

For all of our weddings at Faraway Villa, midnight is home time – again because of our agreement with the locals.  People often ask where they can go afterwards to continue the party but in our experience, the sun and sea air, the fun and food, the drink and the dancing will have people snoozing on the minibus before they even get back to the resort!

Same-Sex On The Beach

Yesterday saw Faraway’s first same-sex wedding of 2013 – better late than never!  After a relatively brief but nevertheless rainy season, we were delighted that the sun was out, the sky was blue and the beach was back (it had disappeared completely – eek!).

Organizing a same-sex wedding is of course no different from organizing any other, but it did raise a few issues with our admin system and the terminology we use for various aspects of the day.  For example, our system is set up with entries for “Bride” and “Groom” – and this just doesn’t work if you have two of one and none of the other!    

Also, we would normally refer to the “Bridal Party” when speaking of the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen, which is fine if there are two Brides… but needs a change for a two-Groom wedding.  Even in geography we were caught out – the Bride and Grooms’ dressing rooms were plain and simply “dressing rooms”…
 

Thankfully, our delightful couple Dale and Chris understood that any “Bridal talk” yesterday was simply a case of linguistics and not a refusal to accept there was no bride!  The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous, with a dramatic surprise entrance on our favourite elephant Dao, 4 readings, a sand ceremony, self-written vows and lots of tears.  

Surprises and personal touches were a theme throughout the evening with a friend singing the first dance song, a fire dance show on the beach and a personalized poster gift for one of the grooms – even the videography was done by Dale’s amazing grandmother, Merle.

We have many more gay and lesbian bookings for 2014, so we’re already ironing out those practical creases and hopefully our couples can also help us to get the formula for a perfect same-sex wedding just right.  

The Grooms had rings custom made in Chiang Mai as they traveled through the region to get here

The colour theme was a palette of purples, pink, yellow and white

Chris and Dale chose not to enter the ceremony with the long drum procession...

... but to make a surprise arrival on an elephant!

Standing before friends and loved ones

It was a heart-felt and emotional ceremony

Unity

Eternal bond

An elephant always proves to be a great photo-opportunity

 

Fabulous weather and a lovely sunset completed the day

The guests were asked to follow a dress code in-keeping with the colour theme

Name settings were hand-painted cards the Grooms found on their travels in Myanmar.  Each person received a personal message inside

Chris surprised Dale with a custom-made poster, a gift made by a friend who couldn't attend

CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS AND DALE 10-12-13

 

 

Beachside Beats, Tidal tunes and Songs on the Sand

Here’s some tips for designing your wedding day soundtrack…

A long-standing procession song favourite over the years has been the traditional “Canon in D” although a close rival has emerged; Christina Perri’s “Thousand Years” has played many Faraway brides down the aisle in 2013.  Couples who elope to marry on a beach in Thailand are less stuck on tradition, meaning we’ve had everything from Bob Marley to an instrumental piece from the Jurassic Park soundtrack.  A notable favourite Faraway moment was seeing a Bride and her father literally dancing down the aisle to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”!  One Bride’s sister sang her onto the beach with the Corrs’ song, “Runaway”, and our violinist and acoustic duo have had requests to perform the procession live.  We do like to encourage fun and another top musical moment was a Groom riding an elephant to the ceremony to Darth Vader’s theme from Star Wars… you really can have it your way.

Favourites for the recession tune this year have been “Marry You” by Bruno Mars, “Marry Me” by Train, Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and Colby Caillat’s “I do”.  However, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole takes first place with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and has also been played for cake cuttings, fire lantern releases and firework waterfalls.

Couples have cut the cake to songs with “sweet” in the title, entered the reception to songs with “party” in the title and danced the first dance to songs with “love” in the lyrics.

Elsewhere on the playlist:

Guest arrival – Start the proceedings with a calm but upbeat atmosphere to set the scene and sooth any nervous energy.  Many couples choose to have a live Khim musician for this part of the day to add a bit of geography and culture to their Thai wedding.  A “Khim” is a wooden instrument with brass strings laid across it that is played with bamboo sticks tipped with leather.  

Post-ceremony – We recommend punctuating the cerebratory mood after the couple have been pronounced with pacey, sunny and fun music.  The Filipino band are a popular choice for anyone who likes a pop balad and the jukebox can be fun for a mixed group so that all can choose their favourites.

Dinner – Softer, quieter music is what we suggest for the meal time so that conversation can take over.  The acoustic guitar duo serve as a great dinner soundtrack for added atmosphere.  Alternatively, the traditional Thai dancing show offers visual, as well as sonic entertainment and even involves the Bride and Groom busting some Asian moves!

Party – need we say more?  Be shameless with your party anthems – pop, disco and dance classics please.  We’ve just got our mitts on some disco lights and a bubble machine if you want to party like a professional.  Add a spectacular show to the evening with a fire dancer who will show your guests what twizzling in Thailand really means.

Don’t underestimate this task – putting together 8 hours of music is a tough job so leave lots of time to get your playlists sorted.  A nice idea is to ask your guests for their top 3 song requests – this way there’ll be an eclectic mix and something for everyone.  We’ve even had some very generous music-mad guests who have taken care of all the music on behalf of the Bride and Groom to relieve them from the task; perhaps this is where your bridesmaids and groomsmen can put themselves to good use?  Alternatively, a DJ can do all the hard work for you – we have 2 to choose from.  All you need to do is tell them what you like and they do the rest.