Although they studied at the same university, nothing happened between Careen and Daniel at first. After graduating, a lot of their friends went back to Indonesia for good; that was when sparks started to fly. "We both stayed to pursue our Master's degrees, so we got to spend more time together. One night, we went for dinner and everything just went on from there," recalled Careen.
"The proposal was done in the apartment that we now live in. He brought me there after dinner, just casually asking if I wanted to have a look," Careen reminisced. Little did she know, Daniel had decorated the balcony with flower petals and fairy lights. "He kneeled and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! Afterwards, we celebrated with wine and our favorite tiramisu," she added.
Careen and Daniel had around 10 months to prepare their dream wedding. "After booking the vendors, I got pretty laid back as I thought there wasn't much left to do," said Careen, "The stress came in when it got closer to the big day, as I realized that there were so many things to do. It's always better to start early with your planning rather than leave everything to the last minute."
Despite the setbacks, Careen and Daniel's destination wedding turned out beautifully. The bride was clad in a stunning dress by Yefta Gunawan that could be worn in three different ways. "The first look was a mermaid dress with a cape for the ceremony, followed by a cheongsam for the tea ceremony. For the reception, we added more volume to the back of the dress to make it extra glamorous," Careen said. The venue, Alila Seminyak was also decorated to perfection by Designmill Co. Rows of tables with gold linens were adorned with white flowers and decorative accents in earthy tones, creating a feminine and elegant look Careen had always dreamed of.
"We felt so happy and blessed, enjoying every bit of the intimate atmosphere that comes with a celebration in Bali. Everything went smoothly and the weather was perfect despite a bad forecast for the whole week," Careen said. She also added, "There's a chance that things might not go as perfectly as planned on the day, but just enjoy the moments anyway. That is all that matters."
