Tashia and Alvin had always dreamed of having a small and interactive wedding, where guests could have fun and even come up to greet them. However, the couple realized that massive buffet receptions with thousands of guests are part of Indonesian culture. To grant their own wishes and accommodate their parents' guest list at the same time, the couple then decided to throw two separate wedding receptions. The first was held during lunchtime, right after the holy matrimony, for the guests of their parents. The second was a dinner reception with only 180 of their closest friends and relatives in attendance. "By doing so, we could celebrate with our friends on the day we got married, not a week prior or later, which would've happened had we opted for a destination wedding," explained Tashia.
Three of the couple's favorite cocktails—Negroni, Mojito, and Peach Bellini—were served along with tasty canapés to open their dinner reception at the Hermitage Lounge. At 7 p.m., the guests were ushered to the upstairs ballroom decorated with rich shades of dark red and peach. After looking through the pictures, we completely understood why this couple chose The Hermitage as their wedding venue. The interiors of this art deco hotel are so beautiful and unique yet, at the same time, homey enough to give a destination wedding feel that Tashia and Alvin were looking for.
What's no less interesting was how they maintained a jovial atmosphere throughout the entire celebration. "We played Bingo as an ice breaker, to set guests in the joyful mood we were aiming for. Their Bingo sheets included items like 'someone who whistles Mary had a little lamb' and 'selfie with family member of groom'. Just like we wanted, all the guests were on their feet, talking and having fun," said Tashia. Their first dance was done slowly to Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and not long after that, their guests were invited to join in.
"At first, we were worried that our wedding wouldn't fit well enough into Indonesian culture. We weren't sure if our guests were ready to take part in the kind of celebration we had in mind. But looking back on the entire planning process and event, we feel like it was truly our very own personalized wedding," shared Tashia. And last but not least, for all you brides-to-be out there, Tashia has some simple advice. "Our wedding was definitely not the standard cookie-cutter Jakarta affair, and we do hope more couples out there are willing to step out of the ordinary and show their personalities on the happiest day of their lives."
Just scroll down to see Tashia and Alvin's happy moments captured beautifully by David Salim, we're sure you'll be inspired in no time.
