All Categories
All Countries
All Cities
All Budgets

A beautiful lakeside wedding on samosir island lake toba
by Jivo Huseri Film

Updated on 13 September 2018, Danau Toba - Samosir

Lake Toba had long held a special meaning for Sarah and Lambok. "I was on a business trip to Medan when Lambok flew all the way there from Jakarta just to surprise me. While we were strolling around the lake, he suddenly gave me a ring and popped the question," reminisced Sarah. Their decision to get married there had other reasons that they were no less passionate about. "Lambok and I are both Bataknese, and our people are known for throwing lavish and sometimes over-the-top wedding parties for the sake of social status. Many Bataknese people, including us, also leave their hometowns to study or work in bigger cities, or even overseas," explained Sarah. "We wanted to have a more meaningful celebration that would also benefit others, especially those living in our homeland," she continued. For Sarah and Lambok, their wedding was a chance to promote tourism in the land of their ancestors and improve the livelihood of the locals living there. "If Lake Toba becomes a popular wedding destination, the ones who will reap the benefits are the souvenir artisans, ulos weavers, and other local businesses in the area," explained Sarah. "Aside from that, having a destination wedding meant we could enjoy a short holiday with our extended family," explained Sarah. The pair worked hard to find endorsers, sponsors, and media partners to support their low-budget destination wedding. "We faced rejection so many times, so we were very happy when the Samosir regency's tourism bureau agreed to become our first sponsor," recalled Sarah. After eight months of planning, Sarah and Lambok's hard work finally paid off when their big day came. "The wedding was both modern and traditional," said Daniel Aditya of Luxio Photo, the photographer-on-duty that day. "Most Bataknese weddings are held in church, but Sarah and Lambok chose an outdoor setting as their sacred altar," he continued. The couple had on Western-style wedding attires, and the venue was decorated in a modern rustic style with white Tiffany chairs. However, they still followed traditional Bataknese rituals, including the marsibuha buhai tradition before the matrimony. Even the flowers were sourced locally. "We got our fresh flowers from the Berastagi Market, Siantar, and Medan," added Sarah. In the end, the wedding was a triumph in so many ways. "We received an award from MURI, the Indonesian World Records Museum, as the first couple to have an outdoor wedding next to Lake Toba," said Sarah. "The weather was perfect, all of our guests were so excited throughout the day, and it also happened to be my birthday," she continued. They also fulfilled their initial goal, which was to promote destination weddings at Lake Toba. "We received hundreds of comments and private messages since we published our photos on social media," she said.


vendors involved in this project:

  • Photography : Luxio Photo
  • Videography : Jivo Huseri Film
  • Venue : Silintong Hotel, Samosir
  • Wedding Cake : tabo cottage
  • Men's Formal Wear : Syafei Tailor
  • Wedding Planning : Jivo Huseri Film
  • Hair & Makeup : Ayu W Make up

other projects you may like

Or you may want to browse Videography in Jakarta