Simran and her fiance Anmol have $76,000 tied up in Bali for their dream wedding. Photo / Supplied
Simran and her fiance Anmol have $76,000 tied up in Bali for their dream wedding. Photo / Supplied
Twelve months ago, Simran Grewal and her fiance Anmol Sahota started planning the wedding of their dreams.
From Indian families living in Sydney, they wanted their celebration to be spread over four days to keep in with tradition.
Starting with a pre-wedding on day one, followed by a henna party, ceremony and finally the reception — the pair envisioned a destination wedding. A place where family and friends from all over the world could meet and celebrate their three-year relationship over the course of four days, news.com.au reported.
And with the help of family, the young couple were able to raise enough money to fund their Balinese wedding.
Simran and Anmol went to Bali twice with their families ahead of their wedding. Photo / Supplied
"We really wanted to do a small wedding, but that blew out to 200 people. Indians can't do small weddings," Grewal told news.com.au.
"We wanted somewhere with culture … different and beachy. Bali ticked all the boxes."
But last week, their plans — along with more than AU$70,000 ($76,000) — went up in smoke, after flights in and out of Bali were cancelled because the Mt Agung volcano was erupting.
"It was a mess ... heartbreak. There were so many questions from everyone. Some were coming from America and Canada. My phone was blowing up."
The couple have known each other since they were 17, and wanted a destination wedding that brought family and friends together. Photo / Supplied
The pair, who were forced to cancel their Balinese plans while stuck in Kuala Lumpur airport, decided to plan a last-minute celebration in Sydney for anyone who could still make it.
"If you had spoken to me the day before yesterday I would've been crying," Grewal said.
"We are a middle-class family and we've spent a lot of money. To lay it out in the first place was hard. Now, all that money is stuck in Bali."
Grewal said more than $76k was tied up with vendors in Bali, who the couple claim won't refund any of the costs.
The pair, who scrambled to find suitable venues in Sydney so they could still get married, will have their ceremony in northwest Sydney on Thursday, followed by a reception on Friday.
Simran, centre left, says the ordeal has left her and her husband Anmol, far left, heartbroken. Photo / Supplied
Becaused they hadn't taken out insurance before the volcano warning, the pair are unlikely to get back all of their money.
"All the vendors want to keep a per cent of the payment," she said.
"The videographer will give the money back, but the photographer won't. My dad is in conversation with the manager of the hotel [for the guests], which has been escalated to the general manager.
Last week, several NZ and Australian flights to and from Bali were cancelled because of the ash cloud created by the volcano.
Melbourne couple Ella Horsh and James Steer were also forced to cancel their Balinese wedding after none of their guests were able to land in Denpasar.
Since Monday, some airlines have been able to resume flights to and from Bali, as the lingering ash cloud caused by the erupting Mt Agung is starting to clear.
Horsh and Steer, who were able to arrange a last-minute wedding in Melbourne on Monday, were not covered by insurance as they'd bought their policy after warnings were issued by the Indonesian government.
"The magnitude to make this wedding amazing. Put my parents out of pocket," Grewal said.
"I've never experienced something like this in my life, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
