Entrepreneur Iyia Liu enjoyed a spectacular destination wedding in Bali. Photo / www.esmeandlogan.com , @esmeandlogan
When Celebrity Treasure Island and BossBabes star Iyia Liu was planning her wedding to longtime partner Jordan Delmont, she had three non-negotiables: a clifftop ceremony, beautiful photos and absolutely nothing boring.
“No long speeches, no dragging it out – I just wanted everyone to have fun,” laughs Iyia, who is feeling jaded the day she speaks to Woman’s Day after just returning from her 12-day wedding celebration in Bali.
“We stayed on afterwards with some of our guests, so it was full-on the whole time and, honestly, quite exhausting, but we loved every second.”
Iyia, 31, is known for being savvy in business – the mum-of-two launched her first million-dollar e-commerce venture in her early 20s and now coaches other online business owners. So it’s no surprise her big day was an Instagrammable dream that included smoke guns, fireworks and a stunning glass aisle perched dramatically above the sea.
Bali was where Jordan, also 31, had popped the question a year and a half ago, so it was special to the couple, plus they knew a destination wedding would entice their friends and family to stay on to celebrate with them longer.
“Weddings usually last a few hours,” she points out. “If you’re spending all that money, why not stretch it out with the people you love and make it a week?”
Iyia found her dream wedding location in Karma Kandara, a luxury resort perched on the cliffs of Ungasan, south Bali. Luckily, she was so in love with the clifftop view that it softened the blow when she realised their wedding and holiday budget had overrun – by double.
“I actually budgeted $60,000 but later realised that didn’t include food, styling, fireworks and our total guest numbers,” she admits. “We added extra nights, upgraded a bunch of things and it just blew out. By the end of it, we’d spent $120,000.”
But they were sold on the venue, which offered everything, including accommodation – the couple held their ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and after-party there. Karma Kandara also provided a wedding planner and a team of 11 on the big day, meaning Iyia and Jordan could be hands-off and just enjoy their celebrations.
In the lead-up to the nuptials, Iyia managed the bulk of the planning with the local Bali wedding planner, while Jordan stepped up for the things that mattered most to him.
“He was all about the food and the music,” says Iyia. “We had fish and steak, and the DJ played fun, sing-along tracks – no slow dances, just a good time. He organised fireworks and smoke guns for later, which looked epic.”
Iyia wore a gown by Australian bridal couturier Pallas Couture, which she bought second-hand without even trying it on.
“I love Pallas Couture and one of their strapless dresses popped up online at 40% off,” she explains. “It was still $10k, but I figured I could resell it. I didn’t try it on until two months before our wedding – but I was on a mission to make sure it would fit!”
Determined to feel her best, she committed to a health and fitness routine that saw her lose 13kg in five months.
“I worked out every day for the first month, then kept going,” Iyia recalls. “I hadn’t been able to fit into clothes I used to and I wanted to feel like myself again, so I ate less processed food, did daily walks, had a PT once a week and used Saxenda injections to help with appetite control. Fitting into that beautiful dress felt like a victory.”
With the wedding planner across the details and her dress taken care of, the Boss Babe was happy to not sweat the small stuff and never veered into Bridezilla territory. There was no wedding theme or colour scheme, although guests were asked to wear neutrals. Even rain on the morning of their big day didn’t worry her.
“If it was going to rain or something went wrong, it didn’t matter,” Iyia says. “We did laugh at the run-through, though – it was raining and I thought, ‘If we slip on this glass aisle over the cliff, will we survive?!’”
Luckily, the rain cleared and the ceremony unfolded against the backdrop of Bali’s endless blue. The bridal party – friends Iyia’s known since her late teens – stood in neutral-toned gowns along the glass platform. Jordan’s groomsmen were equally longtime mates.
Their daughters, Summer, 5, and Millie, 2, were gorgeous flower girls, walking down the aisle (a bit grumpily in Summer’s case, Iyia notes) before being guided to their seats by their dad Jordan.
“They were so excited beforehand – calling it ‘our wedding’, and saying Jordan and I were the queen and king because of our outfits! They had a great time and lasted a lot longer at the reception than I thought they would too.”
Iyia’s parents are separated, but both made the trip to Bali. Her dad NanZheng walked her to the aisle and then stepped back as Jordan took her hand.
“He turned to him and said, ‘Please take care of my daughter,’ with tears in his eyes,” Iyia shares. “My dad never says anything, so that was a really emotional moment for me.”
Her sister Doni flew in from the UK, and Jordan’s tight-knit extended family took up a good chunk of the guest list.
“The Delmonts are close – three brothers and a big extended family. They easily filled their side of the seats!”
Her mum, Caroline, “cut loose” at the beach club after-party and even told Iyia it was the best-organised wedding she’d ever been to.
However, the couple didn’t lean into the traditional for their big day.
“I didn’t do the something borrowed or something blue,” explains Iyia. “I did have something new, though – Jordan’s family gifted me a beautiful Van Cleef ring, which meant a lot. We didn’t even do a first dance – my memory is terrible, so I knew I’d forget the steps!”
One of her favourite moments was receiving a surprise bridal book filled with letters from her bridesmaids and parents. “I’ll treasure that forever,” she says.
Post-dinner, guests were treated to games, a photo scavenger hunt, scattered speeches and a dance floor on the sand.
“We were barefoot, drinking, just celebrating,” she enthuses. “The photos are amazing. No one died on the aisle and it wasn’t boring – mission accomplished!”
The pair met six years ago at the Takapuna Food & Wine Festival, introduced by mutual friends.
“We’d both grown up on the North Shore but never crossed paths properly, although I think I once went to a Halloween party at his house,” says Iyia.
Jordan works in the family business, which owns Dollar Dealers and Gold House pawn shops. As such, he organised their wedding rings, sourcing them from the US.
Now legally Mrs Delmont, Iyia is back to working from home, doing Zoom calls with her e-commerce clients. A honeymoon is still on the cards – possibly when they head to Fiji for a friend’s wedding – but right now, she’s just catching her breath.
Looking ahead, Iyia’s got big goals.
“The last year was all weddings and renovations,” tells Iyia. “This year is about growing the business and the bank balance again.”
And maybe, just maybe, expanding the family.
“We’d love a third, perhaps even a fourth,” says the clucky star. “I come from a small family, but I love how much Jordan’s family does together. I want that for our kids too.”