Are you considering a romantic destination wedding for your big day? Today many couples are opting for tropical weddings and combining their wedding ceremony; many times a beach wedding, with their honeymoon vacation
Destination weddings are popular at many romantic resorts in Bali, Tahiti, the Caribbean, Mexico, Fiji, Hawaii and Costa Rica wedding destinations. Most Resorts will have a wedding coordinator on-site to work with you to plan your destination wedding, or if you prefer, you may want to organize a beautiful private villa. In this case, you can seek an independent wedding planner or on booking your luxury villa may find that the management may be able to help you organize your wedding.
As more couples plan and pay for their own weddings, they want to have a casual, unique celebration and combine it with their honeymoon.
Imagine having your family and close friends in a warm tropical setting with a spectacular sunset over the ocean and gentle ocean breezes filling the air. Next to you is the love of your life, passionately vowing their commitment and devotion to you.
Inviting Your Guests:
When planning a destination wedding, make sure to send out invitations far in advance. After all, the majority of your guests will have to make some monetary and social calculations before they reply to your RSVP. If you are worried that too many guests will be unable to attend, remember that you may have the wedding ceremony at the destination of you choice and you can then hold the reception at a more convenient, albeit less exciting, location.
Marriage Laws, Licenses and Certificates for Bali:
Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia and is subject to Indonesian Laws. Every couple considering getting married in Bali must comply with these Laws.
In accordance with Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriages in Indonesia (Article 2 (1): “a marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned.”
All couples who marry in Indonesia must declare a religion. Agnosticism and Atheism are not recognized. The Civil Registry Office can record marriages of persons of Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian-Protestant and Christian-Catholic faiths. Marriage partners must have the same religion; otherwise one partner must make a written declaration of change of religion.
The Religious Marriage under Islam is performed by the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) in a ceremony at a mosque, the home, a restaurant, or any other place chosen by the couple and is legal immediately after the ceremony.
Christian, Hindu or Buddhist marriage is usually performed first in a church or temple ceremony. After the religious ceremony, every non-Islamic marriage must be recorded with the Civil Registry (Kantor Catatan Sipil). Without the registration by the Civil Registry, these marriages are not legal. Recording by Civil Registry officials can be performed directly at the religious ceremony for an additional fee.
Persons of non-Islamic faith are required to file with the Civil Registry Office in the Regency where they are staying first a ‘Notice of Intention to marry’ as well as a ‘Letter of No Impediment’ obtained from their consular representatives.
For the issue of the Letter of No Impediment to Marriage by your Consular Representative you will need to present for yourself and your fiance, your Passport(s) valid for more than 6 months and Certified Divorce Decrees (absolute/final) and/or Death Certificates regarding the termination of all previous marriages.
Please contact the Consular Representative of your country for details well before your intended date of marriage
What should your wedding planner provide you?
* They should give full details of requirements and procedures for each of the appropriate nationalities.
* Help the wedding couple obtain your ‘Certificate of NonImpediment’ letter which will be issued by your Consulate or Embassy representative in Indonesia. For Canadian citizens, the Bali Adventure wedding assistant will take care of your Certificate of NonImpediment letter. For citizens of the USA and Australia, it will be necessary to apply in person to your Consulate after arriving in Bali and the certificate is generally issued immediately. The Bali Adventure wedding assistant will assist with this process.
* Arrange the photographs that are required for the wedding certificate and documentation. Ensure that they are correct and adhere to authority requirements.
* Advise the Minister of any special requirement you may have requested such as special vows you may wish to say to each other, additional readings, ring exchange etc.
* Just prior to a wedding date all arrangements should be reconfirmed with the Civil Registrar, the Minister and any other persons involved in your wedding ceremony.
* Attend your ceremony to ensure it’s a smooth procedure and to act as coordinator.
* Act as witnesses if you have no friends or family attending the ceremony
Planning your wedding in Bali can be challenging, considering the constraints on your time and the multitude of choices available. A good wedding planner will give you the assurance that your Wedding Day will be the one you have always dreamed of. A wedding has always been a sacred ritual and in Bali where magic and mysteries mix in harmony, the occasion would be just perfect.
