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What factors should I also consider for my Bali wedding budget?

Here are 5 of the key points we recommend to consider when putting together your Bali wedding budget.

  1. Location

  2. Type of Venue

  3. Transaction Fees & Taxes

  4. Food & Beverage 

  5. Wedding Day Help


 

Location

  • Popular area's typically cost more than those less frequented. Locations such as Candidasa and Tabanan are further away and require further travel and accommodation is generally cheaper.
  • 5-Star vs 3-Star - Whilst it may seem logical it is important to outline that a 5-Star location will cost more than a 3-Star location. As an example, Uluwatu which is a premier location with high-end 5-star accommodations is more expensive than areas such as Kuta or Legian. Pricing can double or triple when looking at premier locations.
  • Consider accommodation and logistical costs for not only yourselves but for your guests as well. 

Type of Venue

  • Resort weddings are typically cheaper than villa or dry hire venue weddings. 
  • Villa weddings often cost more than you originally calculate due to hidden or unknown requirements. This can include anything from cooking equipment and power to marquees for wet weather or event fees for holding an event at the villa. We would always recommend you need a wedding planner or coordinator to help you navigate the planning and running a private villa wedding.
  • Restricted vendors. Some venues will restrict the type of suppliers or planners that you can use by specifying a list of people they allow to work at the venue. This can not only be heartbreaking if you have fallen in love with a supplier who cannot work at the venue, but this can mean additional non-factored costs to your budget. Sometimes you can find that the venue specifies that you use only their in-house suppliers which can sometimes mean higher costs and lower quality.

Transaction Fees + Taxes

  • Foreign bank fees can be charged by your financial institution if you are paying into an account of a different currency. This typically ranges from $8 to $20 per transaction. Multiply that over the times you are paying different suppliers and this can add up.
  • Currency conversion risk. Fluctuations in currency exchange can affect the amount you actually pay from your pocket. As an example, if you are paying in USD from an Australian account and the AUD drops in value compared to the USD, let's say from AUD$1=USD$1 to AUD$0.70 = USD$1,  you would actually be paying more for your wedding because you have to spend more of your money per dollar. In this example if would be 30% more. Try to minimise your exposure to currency exchange by paying in your preferred currency where possible.
  • Don't forget credit card fees. If you pay by credit card there will be a charge for fees by your vendor either additionally or already factored into your price. You could save by asking if credit card fees are included in your total price or not and if not, then ask if they can remove the fee if you don't intend to pay via credit card.
  • Venues and suppliers will sometimes specify the conversion rate they will use to convert IDR to USD/AUD. Please check this as sometimes this also can mean you pay more as they specify their rates at a higher than market value rate.
  • If you see "++" at the end of any pricing then that means you need to add the service tax to the price of the item or quote. This is normally an additional 21% in tax if not already included. Equally, if you receive a quote and it doesn't specify that tax is included, then be sure to ask if it is not as you could be charged a 21% surprise on your final payment.

Food & Beverage 

  • Contrary to popular belief, good food and alcohol in Bali are not always cheaper than compared to most western countries. In some instances, it can be more expensive. Just because you can get a great meal at Mexicola for a great price, it doesn't mean that the food you want to serve at your wedding will be that cheap either.
  • Don't always use price as a guide to evaluate better or worse products. If F&B is very important to you then it is also important to do your research and get good advice to ensure the quality meets your expectations.
  • Cocktail style wedding menus are only cheaper if the majority of the food is fried. High-quality cocktail or canapé style food is generally more expensive than a sit-down 3-course meal or buffet, as there is normally more time that goes into the preparation with triple the amount of meals to prepare. 
  • Imported alcohol is expensive due to the taxes charged in Indonesia. Bring in your favourite bottle from duty-free and get good advice on local wines to use. Some locally made wines use Australian grapes, so you are getting a good product without the imported taxes.

Wedding Day Help

  • Find out exactly what your venue, supplier, planner or coordinator will do for you on the day. You don't want to do anything yourself as you want to enjoy the day. You don't want to ask your friends or family to help anything as they have travelled so far for your wedding and are also on holidays too. Find out if you will need additional people, teams or crew on the day to bring everything together.
  • If you don't have a wedding planner or a coordination team then factor in the costs to help you to actually enjoy every moment of your wedding. Costs can range from $1500 to $6000 depending on whether it is an intimate wedding through to an extravaganza.