The Riverside Boutique Resort in Vang Vieng, Laos is a landmark in Kurt and Olia’s love story. As the first nice hotel the couple had ever stayed together, they would return five years later for the sweetest, hyper-intimate destination wedding.

For the most part, Kurt and Olia took a low-key approach to planning, hiring two vendors for the day, Aidan Dockery to capture the occasion and Laos Flower to style the ceremony. With a small wedding group consisting of the couple's closest friends, travel logistics were a breeze. The entire group stayed at the couple’s beloved resort! 

“If you can get married in Laos, and your friends and/or family are willing to join you, then you can have an incredible experience at a fraction of the cost of a wedding in the West,” Olia reveals. 

To ensure the few elements of their day were dialed in, Olia created mock imagery of her dream florals using Midjourney (an AI Image creation tool) to provide a robust set of inspirational material to Loas Flower. “We then gave an itemized list of what we needed, and they simply nailed it/over-delivered,” the bride says. 

After the ceremony, the remainder of the day was a pre-planned adventure by Olia and Kurt. This fresh approach to the traditional idea of a reception brought the whole wedding group on a scooter tour around Vang Vieng, eating from local restaurants and hiking to impressive viewpoints. 

“We love coziness, and our small, personalized wedding diligently stuck to this principle,” the couple says. “We were blessed, and it was a perfect wedding…just like we imagined but even better.”

Vendors: Photographer: Aidan Dockery; Venue: Riverside Boutique Resort; Florist: Laos Flower; Gown Designer: Rat & Boa; Groom’s Attire: Michael Tailors