Wedding Venues - Sri Lanka

Reef Villa in Wadduwa is a new wedding venue that opened in autumn 2008. It is a 7 bedroom property set in 3 acres of land right next to the beach. It is located south of Colombo and about 90 minutes by car from the main international airport in Colombo. They now cater for weddings and it would be an ideal location for those looking for an intimiate wedding location to share with friends and relatives. It prides itself on being neither a hotel nor a villa but combining the best of both with beautiful accommodation, spa and in house chef.

Here are a few photos:

Real Wedding in Sri Lanka

We arranged a wedding for a couple last June in Sri Lanka. The couple live in the UK and wanted a small intimate Hindu wedding ceremony and reception in Sri Lanka for a small group of family and relatives. They also wanted to combine the wedding with a holiday and spent some time travelling around Sri Lanka.

We help to organise their wedding in Colombo at the Galle Face Hotel. They had an intimate Hindu ceremony under a marquee by the sea which was decorated with flowers. We had to move the location due to the heavy rain that day! The groom arrived at the ceremony on an elephant and was accompanied by traditional drummers and dancers. The ceremony then took place and was conducted by a Hindu priest. After the ceremony, the guests had soft drinks, cut the wedding cake and had group photos taken. Then then sat down to lunch on the terrace of the hotel.

They gave the following feedback:

“We had a fab time in Sri Lanka and a fantastic wedding, just like we wanted. We chose SSW, because they were more reliable and maintained excellent communication throughout the planning stages. Samantha’s knowledge was reassuring and the suggestions were brilliant. Everything went well, venue, planning, ceremony and the priest was great. We will definitely recommend your services to friends and family. Many thanks for a memorable day!”

Here are a few photos:

Wedding Venues - Sri Lanka

We often get asked to recommend hotels and venues suitable for beach weddings in Sri Lanka. There are lots of hotels to pick from in Sri Lanka. One of my favourite is the Fortress Hotel near Galle right next to the beach. It has a restaurant, bar, lounge area and an amazing spa. The bedrooms have all the facilities you would need including plasma tvs and music systems and daybeds with great views. It would be an ideal view for small intimate beach weddings. I was there last year and saw a Russian couple getting married by the beach.

Here are a few photos:

Weddings in Sri Lanka

When helping couples to plan their wedding in Sri Lanka, some couples come to us with a fixed idea of what they are after or what wedding venue they would like having seen the venue in a magazine or friend's holiday photos. Others really aren't sure what is available to them and what venues would work with their requirements.

Here are a few factors to consider when planning a holiday overseas
- How far away is the wedding venue from the nearest airport? You might not want your guests having to travel by car for hours after a long flight.
- Can all your guests stay at the wedding venue? Are their enough bedrooms available and also activities to keep them entertained? Your guests will be coming to be there for your special day but they are also having a holiday at the same time.
- What catering is available? Will you be serving your guests local cuisine or western style food? In some countries like Sri Lanka, the local food can be spicy and therefore not for everyones' taste.
Throughout the blog I will add more tips for planning your wedding overseas and in Sri Lanka.

Here are some ideas for a wedding itinerary in Sri Lanka

• Spend a night in Colombo at the Galle Face Hotel in the hotel’s new Regency Wing.
  
• Travel down south to the Fortress Hotel, a boutique style hotel with attentive staff, a varied menu offering local Sri Lankan curries and specialities as well as western food to suit all palates. The hotel has an abundance of high tech equipment in the bedrooms and guests can choose a room that even has its own plunge pool. The hotel also has a spa to ease away any stresses from the sometimes nerve racking journey through the busy streets.


• After a couple of days relaxing, it is possible to have an intimate wedding ceremony next to sea at the hotel accompanied by traditional Kandiyan drummers and dancers with close family and friends watching. Have a casual lunch in the terrace restaurant and perhaps spend the rest of day sipping cocktails by the pool.


• Then do a short sightseeing tour around Sri Lanka for 3/4 nights. Key places to visit include Sigiriya, a 5th century rock fortress citadel, Nuwara Eliya, where there are tea plantations, UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kandy where you can see the temple of the tooth and Anuradhapura, one of Sri Lanka’s historical sites.
  
• Follow this up with a couple of nights in a romantic water villa in the Maldives and end your wedding/honeymoon/holiday in style.
  
  Here are some photos of the Galle Face Hotel:
  

Weddings in Sri Lanka

We plan weddings in Sri Lanka for couples living in the UK or abroad who want a beautifully planned wedding in an exotic location. The main reasons for marrying in Sri Lanka are the beautiful wedding locations, weather, relaxed atmosphere, more value for your money and hospitality of the local people.

We have connections with venues and suppliers in Sri Lanka and can help you plan a stylish and unique wedding whether it is an intimate beach wedding ceremony for 20 or a lavish banquet for 400. Some couples choosing to marry and holiday in Sri Lanka can combine a beach wedding with a weeks sightseeing and then stop in the Maldives for a couple of nights in a romantic waterfront bungalow.