Religious + civil ceremonies - Looking for info!

**princesultan** · 04-05-12, 20:27

Hello,

I am planning to marry my Indonesian fiance in Bali. She was born in Indonesia, however we both live in Canada. She is Muslim and I am Christian. I understand that I may have to "convert" for the purposes of getting legally married in Bali.

How does a religious marriage work exactly? Can this be done in Bali at the same time as the civil ceremony? Is the religious marriage usually a big thing (ie. lots of people, big reception hall, lots of planning, etc) or is it a smaller thing usually done in the parents' house for example? My main thing is that we want the ceremony in Bali to be the main focus point, while we are considering having the religious marriage done in Jakarta.

I'm very confused about how all this takes place. I really don't want to plan 2 weddings, like I said, I'd rather just 1 nice ceremony, but if the religious ceremony is usually a smaller thing, I wouldn't really have a problem with that...

Any help is appreciated!

**greves** · 04-05-12, 20:53

Can't you just get legally married in Canada and have a ceremony to suit your tastes in Bali?

**princesultan** · 04-05-12, 21:25

i guess we could.... but i think her family wants a religious wedding in indonesia.

**Nimbus** · 04-05-12, 21:45

The religious part of the wedding for Muslims is usually a simple affair at home or at a mosque, attended by relatives and immediate neighbors. The reception, on the other hand, is a huge occasion with hundreds or thousands of guests.

**princesultan** · 04-05-12, 23:20

that's good, i like the sound of that.

**redsnapr** · 05-05-12, 03:04

There are places, like the one on Jl. Kelapa Dua Wetan, Jakarta Timur, where you can have both the religious part and the celebration performed. There are 2 joglo buildings, one enclosed for the religious/official part, and one open for the celebration part.

**adestp** · 05-05-12, 13:31

Weddings is all about gathering family and friends of the parent here...
So if your soon to be parent in law is not residing in Bali, you might be expected to consider to at least pay the travel fee to attend your wedding for family closest siblings.