Bali as a Wedding Destination
Australian is well known for its love affair with Bali as a perfect holiday destination. It’s on the affordable side of travel, it has Australia’s perfect climate all year around, and is full of beaches, stunning tropical rainforests, retreats and fun activities.
People love visiting there so much that it’s seen as the perfect location for a wedding. A destination wedding has that “extra” feel of excitement, potentially taking your wedding to a whole new level. Destination weddings tend to be a little smaller, a little bit more intimate, but they open the opportunity for a group holiday – where the celebration can go beyond the single day.
Legal Requirements For Australians Marrying in Bali
But before you race in to all your planning – there are a few things you should know.
The good news. Yes, if you are legally married in Bali – the marriage is also recognised in Australia
The not so good news: But it is probably going to be much harder than you think…
Bali is a deeply religious country and because of this, the legal requirements are that you much have two weddings – a religious one and a civil one. There are no exceptions to these rules – anyone marrying in Bali must have both to be considered legally wed.
On top of this – for the religious ceremony – you must provide evidence of your religious affiliation to one of only a few religions, (Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Islam or Protestant) and you must both be of the same religion.
Mmmm – re-thinking the feasibility of getting married in Bali? After all – you want this to be simple and fun, and right now you might be thinking that this is sounding impossible….
The better news:
There is a work around to this.
Get legally married in Australia first – in a small legals only ceremony. You can do this in a registry office but for pretty much the same price to can book a celebrant to still make this an intimate, warm ceremony.
Then head to Bali with your family and friends for your dream Balinese ceremony minus the legalities.
Cultural Considerations
So you’ve decided to head off to Bali after a legal ceremony in Australia. Often with destination weddings, your celebrant can also plan and attend/run your non-legal event at your favourite location. In the case of Bali though it’s a little more delicate. Bali has significant eco tourism needs and require celebrants to obtain a work visa to do so. They are also rarely approved as the visiting celebrant is taking away work from the locals. So for that dream ceremony – its best to engage a celebrant and/or planner in Bali to make this happen.
You should also work with your local Balinese vendors to ensure that what you plan, does so with respect to Bali; the country, the people and their religious culture. A good rule of thumb is to plan to leave Bali a better place for you having been there.
Where to start? You can head to this balinese wedding website to help you find vendors. A couple of things to note – it suggests you have much more freedom than Australia as to where you get married (beach, hilltop etc) – this isn’t correct – you can do all of this here! Yay for beautiful flexible Australian weddings!
Summary
- Getting married in Bali is difficult for Australian’s to achieve due to the nature of the two separate weddings that are required, and religious requirements.
- Couples can still have their dream ceremony in Bali – but not a legal one.
- A small legals only celebration is best done in Australia before heading to Bali.
- You should engage Balinese wedding professionals to plan and run your wedding.
From the editor:
I’m always happy to talk through the process with couples and support them where I can, including providing the legal component here in Australia. You can contact me/see my packages at https://lovecelebrationsbylisa.au/elopement
