A Glamorous Tropical Island Wedding Weekend in Datai, Langkawi

Chia Wei and Harold met via an online dating platform, 2 years on they decided to tie the knot with plans of a dreamy destination wedding in the South of France. Due to the pandemic, wedding planning was put on hold. Nearing the end of 2021, things began to look rather promising and the couple jump-started plans again for a destination wedding but later decided to celebrate within their home country of Malaysia to circumvent the uncertainty of international travels.

Despite not having been to The Datai, Langkawi, the venue came highly recommended by family and friends. When they did visit, the sense of being enveloped by the forest ridge and the immaculately curated landscape architecture authenticated the reviews they heard. “The moment I saw the grand stairways that connected the hotel to the beach I knew immediately how the ceremony would be,” Chia Wei says. “We also wanted our wedding weekend to feel like a retreat and a wonderful experience for our family and friends and The Datai checked all those boxes.”

The couple kicked off the weekend with a mini golf tournament at The Els Club Teluk Datai, an award-winning 18 hole golf course and welcome dinner at The Gulai House, where guests enjoyed Malaysian cuisine and musical accompaniment.

For the ceremony, the bride wore a stunning Oscar de la Renta A-line wedding gown with V-neckline, off-shoulder sleeves with lace appliques and looked every bit like a modern-day princess as she made her perceptible entrance down several flights of stairs to the altar. Brightly coloured displays of cascading florals pop against the virgin rainforest background. It was the perfect stage for a vow exchange between these two lovebirds. Below family and close friends played witness, the dress code was ‘havana’. Everyone enjoyed refreshments – fresh coconut and canapes after.

The reception was held outdoors, overlooking the Andaman Sea. Viking tables were embellished with lush floral arrangements, silver candelabras, votive candles and crystal centrepieces. Throughout the ceremony, guests were entertained by musicians, cabarets and finally- a full fledged musical takes the cake with an interactive 3rd act that got guests on their feet, dancing.

“We would both love to credit the team at Datai, Langkawi. Everyone was so accommodating and helpful, going above and beyond to make sure our guests feel welcomed and are well taken care of. Our vendors – Wishing Tree, who blew it out of the water with the decorations, they brought our vision to life. It was truly breathtaking and beyond my expectations, and finally our planners – Moments who took care of everything so we could enjoy ourselves and experience it all.” recalls Chia Wei and Harold.