How important is it for a wedding planner to be based in Bali?
This is very important! A wedding planner not based in Bali is an agent who works with Bali-based partners and in 99% of the cases, this means that you will be paying a whole lot more for your wedding. On top of that, the chance of miscommunication is higher as there is a third party involved and where will you go if something goes wrong? When dealing with a Bali based wedding planner, you know where to find them (not just online - an office is a must!). In the worst case scenario, you could go to the police and when working with an agent, even if they are based in your home city, things get more complicated. They can always blame any mistake on their Bali-based partners and take no responsibility whatsoever. It’s clear as can be: it’s always better to deal directly with a Bali based wedding organizer!
What are the signs you should run away from your wedding planner asap?
Sometimes human beings make mistakes and also you are a human being, right? So, what are the signs you made a mistake with the choice of your wedding planner and you should run away while you still can, and find another one?
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- You found terrible testimonials from previous clients about their services and there has been no response from the agency. A response can at least give you a little bit of information on what actually happened. If there is no response, it is a bad sign.
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- Bad photo and video portfolio. If a wedding planner doesn’t upload their previous weddings on the website, it is a warning to you. Make sure to ask your wedding planner to send you the latest 10 wedding albums and do check on the dates. If the photo albums are not from their latest wedding events, better get out of this collaboration.
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- Slow reply or ignoring of your emails, especially after you have paid a deposit. Do note that if your wedding date is not any time soon, it may take a few days for the wedding expert to reply. If you want fast answers at all time, we recommend you to discuss this directly with your assigned wedding manager.
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- Surprise fees popping up everywhere, especially after you paid a deposit.
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- Your wedding planner doesn't have an office based in Bali. No office usually means they are agents who have no established business in Bali and they may not even be legal. Do not proceed with companies like this, you may not lose all of your money but your wedding day can be completely ruined.
What should you know about Bali Wedding Association?
Bali Wedding Association or ‘The Association of Professional Wedding Businesses in Bali’ is the only government-related wedding organization in Bali. All other so-called associations have no any legal authority or control over the wedding industry on the Island.
All members of the Bali Wedding Association are trustworthy companies and legally established businesses which have been registered in the government office. All of them have a proven track record and share a code of ethics to perform quality, professionalism and excellence. Therefore, it is highly recommended to consider one of the members of the Bali Wedding Association as your wedding planner. Your wedding event will get extra protection as BWA takes partial responsibility for their partners.
How much deposit should you pay to secure the booking for your wedding in Bali?
The deposit may vary, depending on what is included in your wedding contract. For example, if you want to bring Robbie Williams or Celine Dion (something The Seven Agency can actually arrange), full-payment may be required in advance. However, typical wedding deposits for Bali are as following:
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- Small weddings = 30 - 50% of the total contract amount. The remaining amount can be paid in the office in Bali during a pre-wedding meeting in cash or by card.
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- Big weddings = 50% of deposit has to be paid in advance. The rest should be paid one month or two weeks before the event via bank transfer or PayPal transaction.
Go for an inspection if you can.
If your wedding date is not soon and you are still not sure about the wedding venue, we would recommend you to come to Bali and inspect the wedding venue options yourself. The Seven Agency is happy to arrange a personal site inspection for the bride and groom to be and it is technically free of charge. The site inspection includes:
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- Discussing details and planning the wedding venue inspections (3 venues per day);
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- Booking the venues for the site inspections;
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- Venue inspection accompanied by a professional manager, including transport, driver, snacks and water.
With so many services included, you must think this will cost you quite some money. However, If you have already booked your wedding with us, this service is completely free of charge. Couples who have not booked their wedding with us (yet) can also make use of this service when coming to Bali. We will charge you only USD 75 for the car rental, driver, petrol and a professional wedding planner who accompanies you during the inspections. This amount will be refunded if you eventually decide to book your wedding with us.
How fast can you expect to get replies from your wedding consultant?
This depends on how soon your wedding date is. If your wedding is within the next two months, you have all rights to require answers within one working day. If your big day is still 5 months away or more, the answer from your wedding experts can take 2 to 3 working days. For weddings that are still one year or more away, you can expect your wedding consultant to reply within a week. We do recommend to get in touch with your wedding consultant and discuss the deadlines and preferred ways of communication (email, WhatsApp, voice calls, etc.).
Where should your pre-wedding meetings take place while you are in Bali?
Normally, pre-wedding meetings take place in the office of your wedding planner. There, you can attend the presentation, see some decor, meet the team and make payments. Let it be a warning to you if your wedding planner offers to come to your hotel or villa for the presentation - they may not have an office and their business might not even be illegal.
The Seven Agency invites you to a pre-wedding meeting in one of their comfortable offices where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine as you discuss the details of your upcoming wedding ceremony. You get to meet the team and you may also get acquainted with the people who work in the field.
How to find a reliable wedding planner in Bali?
Bali is one of the most popular places to get married in the whole wide world and therefore, the island is home to tons of wedding planners. It is a booming business, also attracting cheats and liars who are just out for your money. One must be very careful when selected their wedding planner and make sure they are trustworthy and reliable. Here’s what you should look out for;
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- Good authentic reviews. Obviously, your wedding planner should have lots of good reviews from former customers and you also have make sure that those great reviews are authentic. These days, it is easy to make a professional website and have it ranked high on Google - you can just pay someone to do it and on this website, you can simply place some awesome reviews that appear to be real but in reality they are not. Therefore, always check out reviews on independent, third-party websites such as the Facebook page of the wedding planner. The reviews are easily verified - you can see who posted it, make a comment or even send this particular person a message to get more information. The Seven Agency has received an abundance (100+) of good reviews on their Facebook Page. Check them out here.
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- A great portfolio of photos and Videos. Photos and videos can tell you things that words cannot say. It gives you a good idea of the venues, the decorations, the ambience and everything - it tells you what this wedding agency is capable of. Quantity is as important as quality. Do check if they have a big portfolio with weddings held at different venues. The Seven Agency has planned over 2000 weddings in Bali at different venues around the island. Check out their portfolio. You can easily navigate between their cliff weddings, beach weddings, villa weddings, waterfall weddings and so on. The possibilities are endless and the list is quite impressive!
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- Is your wedding planner legally registered? This is of utmost importance! Your wedding planner needs to be in possession of the necessary licenses and documents. Better to be safe than sorry so don’t hesitate to ask. You don’t want them disappearing with your deposit money, do you? It is also wise to choose a wedding planner from Bali Wedding Association. This is the only government-related wedding organization on the island. They work with a code of ethics and they take responsibility for their members.
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- Your wedding planner must have an office. Make sure your wedding planner really is based in Bali, and check if they have an actual office on the island that you can visit. Ask for photos of the office and Google Maps coordinates. There are also websites who use fake addresses. You can double check everything on the street view mode in Google Maps. No office should ring some alarm bells.
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- Transparency and options. Prices should be clear and transparent, listed on their website without hidden fees of any kind. It would be even better if they have wedding packages available so you can get a realistic idea of what your wedding (the complete picture) is going to cost. On the website of The Seven Agency, you can see a wide range of wedding packages with prices and they also have a price list of their ala-carte services.
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- Choose a company instead of a ‘one-woman show’. Why? A company can provide you with personal attention, quality and a wide range of services that one individual person just can’t do on her own. A so-called ‘one-woman show’ wedding planner does everything herself; meeting her clients, phone calls, emails, arranging vendors and decorations, making schedules - where can she find the time to truly listen to her clients and give them the quality-time they deserve? What happens in case of unforeseen events such as sickness? How can she guarantee the quality of her services is she depends on the work of freelancers? These are a lot of questions that you simply don’t have to worry about when choosing a wedding company instead of an individual. The Seven Agency has a team of 42 Bali-based employees and another 20 team members in other countries. Included in the team are also photographers and videographers. Read more about The Seven Agency team here.