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When we set out to find the perfect venue, we visited about seven hotels along the south coast of Sri Lanka. As soon as we set eyes on Heritance Ahungalla, Richard and I knew it was the perfect location for our beach wedding.
When you first enter the hotel through the main gates and drive past the beautiful gardens, you are greeted with a fantastic small lake lined by palm trees and a sweeping driveway.
As you step into the lobby you are met with the most wonderful view, a clear blue infinity pool that seems to be flowing straight into the Indian Ocean!
The staff at Heritance Ahungalla are fabulous and very accommodating. We met with the food and beverage manager who showed us around the hotel and indicated the possible locations for our wedding.
As we wanted a beach wedding for about 120 guests, we opted for the beach area just in front of the bar and to the side of the blue infinity pool.
We sat down with the hotel chef who designed a special dinner menu just for us. With both local and foreign guests attending, the chef designed a delicious international buffet with a choice for everyone.
The wedding team at Heritance Ahungalla can help you with whatever you need for your big day. They can arrange local suppliers such as stylists, the band/DJ, Ashtaka, Kandyan dancers and drummers, Jayamangala Gatha and the registrar. The chef can design a wedding cake too. And for the more adventurous, they can even arrange for the groom to enter on an elephant!
After making the initial arrangements and reservations, we returned to the UK safe in the knowledge that our wedding was in the capable hands of a reliable hotel team. We were kept up-to-date on a regular basis by email to make sure the arrangements were running smoothly.
To make sure everything was under control, it is best to have someone based locally to oversee the proceedings. We were very fortunate that we had my aunt, based in Colombo, who was absolutely fantastic at keeping track of all the plans on our behalf. Without her we could not have had such an amazing wedding!
On arriving in Sri Lanka for the week leading up to the wedding, we had many family arrangements to make and the staff at Heritance helped to ease the stress immensely. We sat down with the hotel’s wedding co-ordinator, the food and beverage team and the registrar to go over the final plans. They were all extremely helpful and attentive to our needs. The peace of mind they offered was invaluable as those last few days before the main event can get really stressful.
Although our wedding guests were mainly locals, we did have a group of 35 family and friends who travelled from the UK for our wedding. For most of them it was their first time in Sri Lanka. They embraced the food and culture and totally immersed themselves in the Sri Lankan experience with some of my female friends and family wearing traditional saris. They had a wonderful time and felt very welcomed.
In preparation for the wedding, the hotel did a fantastic job of decorating the stairwell leading down towards the reception and out towards the poruwa.
On the big day as guests arrived they were provided with tropical drinks. The hotel also took charge of recording the wedding presents and helping guests to the wedding area.
Our poruwa ceremony took place on the beach in the early evening. The hotel staff and even other hotel guests were there to watch us get married. The ocean setting was the most beautiful backdrop for stunning photographs on the beach and even better for the sunset pictures later on.
After the amazing ceremony, the party moved to a large marquee set up on the beach. The tables were decorated beautifully and the staff did a wonderful job serving the wine and short eats to the guests.
The wedding buffet was sensational and lavishly presented with flowers and ice sculptures. There was plenty of food of exceptional quality, which was enjoyed by all.
To make it even more special, the entire wedding party took to the beach again to enjoy a fantastic fireworks display.
The band and DJ were right on the beach and with our own private dancefloor the wedding guests joined us for several hours of dancing.
As the night drew on, the after party spilled into the hotel nightclub where a small group of us were left dancing until the early hours of the morning!
On our wedding night, we returned to our luxury room to find the hotel had beautifully decorated our bed with gorgeous red petals wishing us a happy married life together.
Our wedding was the largest outdoor wedding hosted by Heritance Ahungalla. The success of the day proves how well equipped and organised the hotel staff are and I am sure they will go on to host more outstanding beach weddings in the future.
We had an amazing and memorable wedding day, one that we will never forget, and we cannot imagine any hotel that could have provided better service or hospitality.
A fairytale wedding in a truly tropical paradise.
By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe and Richard Lowe
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