DENPASAR (indo.com): OK, you have decided to get married. 'Where shall we hold the wedding?' Why not Bali?

To be married with someone you love in a very special way should be a special event and held in a very exotic place. Which is why many westerners have been choosing Bali as their place to get married. It has romance, mysticism and a unique culture.

For Balinese, especially for Balinese Hindu, their wedding is one of the most important things in their life as the wedding ceremony is a sign or an announcement that he or she is to begin a new level of life by leaving the brahmacari stage.

The wedding ceremony begins with a Memadik process, where the groom's family meet with the bride's family to ask the bride if she wants to marry the groom. If the answer is yes, the bride will go with the groom to his family's house.

Later (either that day or several days following) the couple will hold a wedding ceremony where many people from both families, along with friends and villagers, will witness the ceremony.

After the wedding ceremony, the couple and their families go to the bride's house to say "good bye".

When people get married in Bali, the man takes responsibility as a member of society. He gets the right to speak at a Banjar (the community body) meeting and must take on social duties, such as attending the temple ceremonies and taking part in the community activities. In this way other members of the Banjar will come to recognize him as an adult and he will have the opportunity to take on more responsibility in the Banjar.

With the wedding process in Bali, both families will unite, not simply the bride and groom. And as a result, if the bride's family member (even if a remote cousin) has a ceremony, the groom's family members will attend. This is why there is always many people attending a ceremony.