Can people of different religions get married in Bali?

Many people think that Bali is a country close to Indonesia. They often ask about requirements to get married in Bali, especially for those who have different religions with their partners,hoping that they can legalized their marriage without having to follow the Marriage Law in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, Bali is part of Indonesia. Therefore, they impose the same law as have been stated in the Marriage Law.

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 want to marry in Indonesia must declare a religion. There are only five religions recognized by the Indonesian Government. They are Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddha and Islam.

Agnosticism and Atheism are not recognized in Indonesia. Therefore, if your partner does not belong to any religions, you can encourage him/her to follow your beliefs. If your partner has different religion to yours, you need to decide what kind of religious ceremony that you both want.

For non-Islam, marriage is usually performed in a church or temple followed by registration with the district Civil Registry Officer. This means that every non-Islam couples must hold two ceremonies, i.e. religious ceremony and civil ceremony.

A civil ceremony can only be performed after a religious ceremony. Without a religious ceremony, the Civil Registry Officer will not issue marriage certificate. Without this certificate, your marriage is considered not legal.

The Religious Marriage under Islam is performed by the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) in a ceremony at a mosque or any other place chosen by the couple and is legal immediately after the ceremony.

Tips: Bridal Make Up

Make up is one of the most important part for a woman on her wedding day. Obviously all women want to look stunning on these special days. Don't leave it till the end. Make sure you plan it in advance.

Here are some tips to make you look as beautiful as a princess:

1. Book your make up artist earlier. Try as many colors as you need to be confident so you know exactly how you will look on you wedding day. Photograph the result so you can look back and re-assure yourself that you are extremely happy with the final effect.

2. Book an appointment with your beautician few days before the wedding day for any waxing, facials, pedicure and manicure you may need.

3. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to flush toxins out of your body and to hydrate your skin.

4. Try to have as much sleep as you can a week prior to the wedding to look and feel bright and refreshed and eliminate bags under your eyes and dark circles.

5. Your make up should be an enhancement of what you normally wear. Remember your partner is marrying you, so he should at least recognize you. If you usually go for the natural look, stick to natural colors but slightly stronger.

6. Start with concealer and foundation. Be careful about the color foundation you choose. Whilst you should always go for a match as near as your skin, anything too pale will make you look washed out if you are wearing a white or ivory dress. Try to choose a yellow toned foundation to bring warmth into your face. Alternatively use bronzing powder to give you a bit of color. If you are wearing a low cut dress remember to sweep it across the chest area so you don't seem to have a painted face.

7. To make your lipstick last all day, first apply a lip primer to give your lips an even surface and reduce blistering bits. You can also apply foundation to the lips and let it dry. This will give a good base. Line your lips with the lip pencil (which should be the same shade as your lipstick) and then fill all your lips with the pencil. Finally, apply your lipstick. Blot with a tissue and re-apply your lipstick. Now your lipstick should stay on all day.

8. To make your eyes look bigger and whiter, choose dark navy mascara. If you are dark skinned or have brown eyes then black is usually best. Brown mascara can make eyes look tired.

9. To lift your eyes, apply an eye shadow highlighter just below your brow bone. If you have small eyelids, just apply in the center of the eyelid and a dark brown shade in the eyelid crease. White/ivory eyeliner in the edge of your eyes will also make them appear brighter.

10. To make your eyes look wider, set blend the eye shadow highlighter in the inner corner of your eyes. Note: be careful of any highlighter that is too sparkly, this can look strange in the photos. Matte is usually best.

11. Finally, apply a light natural pink blush onto your cheeks. Don't put too much especially if you are going to drink as it can give you a natural flush look without the blush.

The princess is now ready to walk down the aisle.