A young couple are devastated after dreams of their perfect wedding were crushed by an erupting Bali volcano.
Melbourne couple Ella Horch and James Steer had planned to fly out to Bali for their wedding on Thursday morning, but those plans were scuppered due to an ash cloud created by Mount Agung, which is set to erupt.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin flights in and out of Bali have been cancelled due to the pending eruption – leaving Ms Horch and Mr Steer $20,000 out of pocket.
Melbourne couple Ella Horch and James Steer had planned to fly out to Bali for their wedding on Thursday morning
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin flights in and out of Bali have been cancelled due to the pending eruption – leaving Ms Horch and Mr Steer $20,000 out of pocket
Ms Horch, 27, said she was ‘hysterical’ after finding out her wedding would not be able to go ahead, according to news.com.au.
‘I was hysterical… everyone has taken annual leave and we have guests coming from all over Australia as well as overseas for the wedding,’ she said.
‘We are very devastated at not being able to go there … but it can’t be helped with a natural disaster.’
They had planned for 30 guests to attend the wedding at Legong Keraton Hotel in Seminyak, and the event had been eight months in the making.
The couple paid a non-refundable deposit of $3,500 and paid about $10,000 for accommodation for all their guests.
The hotel has offered to change the wedding to another date, but they are yet to confirm a specific time.
Their expenses weren’t covered by travel insurance as they took out their policy after the Indonesian government issued warnings.
Ms Horch said the couple were unable to reschedule their wedding in Bali because of annual leave restrictions.
The issues with the wedding come only eight weeks after Mr Steer’s mother tragically and suddenly died
The issues with the wedding come only eight weeks after Mr Steer’s mother tragically and suddenly died.
Ms Horch has set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to recoup some of their costs.
‘We have minimal money left and we are hoping there might be some generous businesses or people in the greater public that could band together to help us out.’
Mount Agung has been at the highest alert level since Monday – the same day flights to and from the Indonesian island were completely cancelled
Separately, Breana Napper and Josh Major had their beachside wedding in Sanur, Bali, all planned out – and were due to say ‘I do’ in front of 60 friends and family on Saturday.
But now they have been forced to abandon their dream big day – and organise another wedding in their home town of Perth.
‘We spoke with our wedding planner and she’s highly doubtful we’ll get anything back, so we’ve basically lost $25,000 and paying for a second wedding on Saturday,’ Ms Napper told Yahoo7.
Breana Napper and Josh Major had their beachside wedding in Sanur, Bali, all planned out – and were due to say ‘I do’ in front of 60 friends and family on Saturday
Some of the bride’s family are also stuck in Bali – after heading there early for a quick holiday before the wedding.
Mount Agung has been at the highest alert level since Monday – the same day flights to and from the Indonesian island were completely cancelled.
Tuesday’s closing affected more than 440 flights carrying more than 59,500 passengers.
Some of the bride’s family are also stuck in Bali – after heading there early for a quick holiday before the wedding