Where do I start?
Things you need to know about getting married in bali
Where do I start?
This is a question we get alllll the time. So let us take you through the A- Z of planning Your Wedding in Bali.
- Sit down together and discuss a rough guests list, dates and budget for the day as well as for your “personal items” such as dress, rings, honeymoon etc.
- Work out your ideal setting for a wedding. There are hundreds of venues to choose from in Bali which we touch on below.
- Do some research, google weddings, look them up on instagram or pintrest and save any images that stand out to you both.
- Contact us! You can book in a call or fill out our enquiry form and we can guide you through venues, budgeting and more.
- Book in Virtual site visits – Our team can go visit venues of your choice and give you a video walk through to help you decide.
- Lock in your Venue, Date, Planner and enjoy the planning process as YOU help us create your dream wedding day.
Beach Weddings
For all those beach lovers there are many stunning beach front Villa, Restaurants and Resorts to choose from with the perfect beach front areas at very affordable prices. Please note that in Bali you cannot just pick part of the beach and get married on the beach as there are Banjar (community) fees and licenses required.
A few of our favorites include – Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa, Bali Beach Glamping, Holiday Inn Tuban, Sundays Beach Club, Kresto Seminyak, Tigli Benoa and Samabe. All of these range in cost depending on area and dates. Contact us for more info.
Ocean View
Don’t want to get sandy but still want the stunning backdrop of the ocean? Plenty of Villas and Hotels offer beach front ceremonies either in Bales or gardens just back from the sandy shores.
Our favorites include – Bali Mandira Hotel, Bali Niksoma and The Bandha, Holiday Inn Tuban, Taman Bhagawan, Seseh Beach Villas, Anantara Seminyak, Roosterfish Beach Club, Villa Veads, Bali Beach Glamping, Villa Shalimar and Noku Beach House
Cliff Views
From the hills in Jimbaran and Uluwatu it is possible to have breathtaking ocean views from the cliff tops either at a hotel or private Villas. A few of our favorites include – Villa Latitude, Pandawa Cliff Estate, Ungasan, The Edge, Puri Bhagawan, Wonderland Bali, Kamaya Uluwatu, Tirtha Uluwatu and Puri Temple Hill.
Chapel
In Bali there are many gorgeous chapels, most located within resort hotels, imagine floor to ceiling glass and panoramic views of the ocean whilst surrounded by your loved ones. A few of our favorites include – Kamaya, Puri Temple Hill, Infinity Chapel (Conrad), Tirtha Chapel, Amala Chapel (Kempinski), Eternity and Harmony Chapels (Mulia).
Villa or Private Hotel
Villa weddings are becoming more popular with couples who want to incorporate their stay and wedding all at the one location with their close friends and family without having to share their location with other guests. Another option is picking a small boutique hotel that only has a few rooms. Villa weddings do normally have extra fees such as local community fees, electricity and event fees in place by management.
A few of our favorites include – The Ungusan, The Edge, Jeeva Saba, Pandawa Cliff Estate, Pantai Lima Estate, Villa Latitude, Seseh Beach Villas, Surga Villa, Six Senses, Villa Vedas, Khayangan Estate, Bloomfield Bali, Bali Beach Glamping and more!
Church or Temple
For those couples wanting a more traditional wedding there is the local Catholic Church in Kerobokan, Protestant Church in Nusa Dua or the Hindu Temple in Kuta. Please enquire for more details and requirements.
Jungle or Rice Paddy views
For something different and a bit more “Bali” we LOVE Jungle vibes.
Our favorite venues include – Kenran Ubud. The Sanctuary Villa, Infinity Villa, Chalina Estate, Iman Villa and Plataran Canggu.
FAQs
FAQs
Q – Why do I need a wedding planner?
A – Arranging a wedding in Bali from overseas can be difficult and time consuming. You need to research venues, see if they actually look like the photos, work out all the extras you need. Not to mention a lot of suppliers here do not speak English so you may have trouble booking certain items. A wedding planner can save you time and stress as they guide you through everything you will need for your wedding as well as assist you booking it all. On the day of the wedding even without a wedding planner someone needs to be able to – Meet all vendors as they arrive, advise them where to setup and answer questions, make sure everything is correct, make sure everyone is on time, ensure table settings are done etc. If you do not have a wedding planner this task will need to fall to you, a bridesmaid, a family member or someone and is great as they are do they really know what needs to be done? That’s our job, leave it up to experts to help you.
Q – Why choose us?
A – We are based in Bali and our team have over 30 years collectively of Wedding and Event Planning Experiance and have planned and Co-ordinated over 200 Weddings. Our founder Tristan is from New Zealand and likes to make sure that her team are all up to “Western Standards” for Events and Customer Service. This means all emails are answered personally by our team (no templates or generic info), all wedding briefs are triple chekced and there is always support and advice offered through our Facebook page for any and all questions you may have.
Q – Is it expensive to get married in Bali?
This is a really hard question to answer as a wedding is only as cheap or as expensive as you choose. We have done small elopements for 2 for under 20 Million IDR ($1700 USD), Weddings for 50 for 100 Million IDR ($7,000 USD) or Weddings for 50 for closer to 800 Million IDR ($55,000 USD). This is a personal question and each wedding is unique to the couple and what they want and can afford. As an average guideline we do estimate around 250 Million IDR for an “all inclusive” wedding for 50 at a hotel or standard venue or closer to 400 Million IDR for 50 at a villas. But as always this is flexible based on your needs.
However, the “bang for buck” is a lot better in Bali meaning you will get more for your money then you would in most Western Countries.
If you are worried about costs or just want to know a good guideline, reach out to our team and we would be happy to chat more and give you some information.
Q – How many days before the wedding should I get there?
A – If you are having a legal wedding we do require you to be here a minimum of 3 business days before the wedding to arrange your CNI at the embassy as well as photos. For other ceremony types usually a day or so before to recover from jet lag and meet up with us is fine.
Q – Do I need to come over to meet or view the venues?
A – No, but it’s up to you. We can arrange everything for you for your wedding but some people do prefer to come over to see for themselves. At the moment we understand that Travel is restricted and a little trickier then normal. So our team are offering Video calls to “meet” and Virtual Site Visits where we can take you out on a day virtually to 3-5 venues and video call or take videos for you to see the venues live.
Again reach out for more info.
More questions? Get in touch and we’d love to help! Or check out our Blog or Instagram for more FAQ and ideas.
Types of Ceremony
Types of Ceremony
Getting married in Bali doesn’t need to be stressful or hard and we can arrange any type of ceremony you need.
Please see below requirements for each type and email me for further information.
Commitment Ceremony or Vow Renewal
Popular for couples who want to arrange all the legalities and paperwork in Australia or New Zealand so they do not need to do anything more once they get to Bali. A commitment ceremony is a non-legal ceremony performed by a celebrant, priest or minister of your religion.
You will still be issued with a commitment certificated however it does not make your marriage legally binding. This ceremony type is available to all couples from around the world wanting to celebrate their love for each other or couples simply wanting to renew their wedding vows.
Legal Ceremony
To be legally married in Bali so that it is recognized internationally the main thing that is required is that the couple must be of the same religion. There are only 5 recognised religions in Bali being – Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist. We recommend having a Protestant ceremony for most couples as it is the easiest and you can have this ceremony done anywhere, even if one person is Catholic and one Christian you can still have a Protestant ceremony. For any other religion type both people must be of the same religion and if not you must convert prior to the wedding. Further documents will also need to be provided such as Baptism certificates, pre-marriage counselling certificate issued by church, consent to be married in a foreign country and more.
For a Protestant ceremony the documents we would require are – certificate of no impediment issued no earlier than 3 months prior to your wedding , This can be obtained at the your consulate in Bali no more than 3 days prior to your wedding current cost is $110 AUD and must be paid in IDR. Photocopy of both bride and groom’s birth certificates, photocopy of bride, groom and 2 witness’ details page of passports, 6 passport sized photos (this is easiest to get done here prior to wedding), divorce or death certificates (if applicable).
Non-Legal Religious Ceremony or Vow Renewal
Similar to a commitment ceremony but incorporating your religious beliefs, a religious ceremony is available for couples following Protestant, Catholic, Hindu or Buddhist. As the ceremony is “non legal” this will not interfere with any past or future legal weddings.
The ceremony will be done by an official from your chosen religion and consist of readings of chosen religious text as well as being able to add your own special vows should you choose.
For this ceremony type we do require a photocopy of your legal wedding certificate if already married, a photocopy of bride, groom and two witness’s passports these witnesses can be family if you wish and 3 passport photos – we can get this done in Bali. Please note further documentation maybe required for Catholic, Hindu or Buddhist ceremonies.