Want to know more about Bali weddings? Where to get married and what are the legal requirements for this destination wedding?
Bali Weddings 101
This enchanting Indonesian island, in many ways very different from the rest of the country it is a part of, is usually the first (and often only) place most visitors see during their visit to the great archipelago.
Fortunately, Bali meets all the romantic requirements of an exotic wedding destination, with its verdant rice terraces, pristine beaches, beautiful temples and friendly, hospitable people.
Bali also meets all the practical requirements for a memorable wedding, with an abundance of excellent resorts to suit every budget and plenty of companies willing and able to arrange everything, from the most elaborate Bali weddings to tours of the island during the honeymoon.
One of the biggest private companies offering such services is Bali Exotic Wedding International, which focuses on assisting visitors who want to marry on the island and was founded by an Australian who settled in Bali.
Practically all the big Bali hotels offer wedding packages, from the international chains such as the Ritz Carlton or the Hyatt, to the local hotels such as the Resor Seminyak or the Griya Satrian.
The heavy competition helps keep the price reasonable: many of the packages start from about USD 1,000 and up and can come with the services of a wedding coordinator, one to three nights’ stay, document processing, the wedding ceremony itself, dinners, traditional Balinese pre-wedding beauty treatments and even elaborate Balinese processions to enhance Bali weddings anytime!
If you prefer to have a more private affair, you can also opt to hold your wedding and the subsequent honeymoon in your very own villa, which runs for about the same prices and offers the additional benefit of accommodating your guests as well.
There are a number of legal details involved in marrying in Indonesia, which your wedding company should take care of. Alternatively, you may choose to file the papers yourself or engage a lawyer to do so on your behalf.
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Bali Weddings Requirements
Whichever way you choose to do your Bali wedding, these are the requirements you’ll need to meet before you are legally married:
- An Indonesian marriage requires both a civil and religious ceremony, both of which can be organized by the wedding company.
- You are required to state your religion in order to marry, in accordance with a 1974 Indonesian law which states that “a marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned.”
- The Civil Registry Office recognizes wedding ceremonies held under the Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant or Buddhist codes. Unfortunately, atheists and agnostics are not recognized. The two persons must be of the same religion.
- Those intending to wed in Bali must file Certificate of Non-Impediment and a Notice of Intent to Marry with the Registry Office.
- The imposing sounding Certificate can be obtained from your home country’s consulate and declares that neither you nor your significant other are being forced into marriage.
- If you’ve been married before, you’ll need to furnish the Registry Office with a divorce certificate or a death certificate on your previous spouse.
Bali weddings are romantic and exotic, that is something that cannot be denied.
