Wedding fairs have always evoked images of cream lace, tulle, and organza; of white calla lilies and doves, of pastel-coloured macarons and a string quintet playing out their sombre rendition of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
YAWN.
This year’s Wedding Romance Week, an annual wedding fair put together by Bella Donna Group and Grand Indonesia Shopping Town that took place between n April 4-7, has completely turned the tired and age-old “fairy princess bride” concept on its head by going with an unconventional circus theme. The week-long affair featuring forty-seven vendors (a meteoric rise from last year’s twenty-six!) is titled East Meets West, and it fully committed to its circus theme by opening the first day with jugglers, gymnasts, and clowns. While it was certainly a very unconventional take on the traditional wedding fair, it was at this point that I remembered I was, in fact, terrified of clowns.
VIP guests and the media were treated to canapés and an interview featuring four people who have put plenty of weight behind the show, now in its third year: Kantoro Permadi, Event & Promotion Manager of Grand Indonesia; Diany Pranata, head of Bella Donna Group; Bryan Tilaar, head of the Martha Tilaar Group; and Ivan Gunawan, home-grown designer and event partner. I tried my hardest to focus on the interview but kept getting distracted by how amazing Ms. Pranata looked in her truly East meets West-inspired dress by Ivan Gunawan: a red cap sleeve kebaya top lovingly sewn into a delicate, tulle-filled floral A-line skirt. Next to my interview notes, I wrote LOVE THE DRESS over and over. She reminded me of a modern-day Disney princess with her pixie haircut, standing out among a panel of men in crisp suits. She was especially endearing during her thank-you speech in which she profusely expressed her gratefulness for the popularity of the fair, and for support from her family (her aunt is beauty industry mogul Martha Tilaar). (more…)
