Weddings in Candidasa & Karangasem
East Bali weddings in Candidasa and Karangasem, home to the Lempuyang Gates of Heaven and the royal water palaces, quiet and full of culture.
Featured wedding venues in Candidasa & Karangasem
Aamisha Villa
A cliffside villa on the east coast at Candidasa, garden and pool over the sea.
Amankila
An Aman clifftop resort over the Lombok Strait in east Bali, with a three-tiered pool.
Candi Beach Resort & Spa
A coconut-grove beach resort on Mendira Beach, east Bali.
The Griya Villas & Spa
A hilltop villa resort over Lipah Bay in Amed, east Bali.
Tirta Nila Beach House
A beachfront four-bedroom villa on the water near Candidasa.
Villa Campuhan
An oceanfront estate where two rivers meet the sea at Jasri, East Bali.
Mimpi Resort Tulamben
A ceremony deck between the pool and the black pebble bay at Tulamben.
Santai Hotel Amed
Toraja-style bungalows in a tropical garden on the Amed coast, east Bali.
Tauch Terminal Resort Tulamben & Spa
The dive resort at Tulamben that marries couples underwater, on the reef.
Villa Bukit Segara
An eight-bedroom seaside villa estate above the beach at Bunutan, Amed.
Villa Asada
A hillside infinity pool over the East Bali coast, away from the crowds.
Villa Jukung
A beachfront colonial villa on a calm lagoon in East Bali.
Villa Oceana
A beachfront villa on the calm Candidasa coast, reef and all, right outside the door.
Villa Stella
60 metres of private beach on Amuk Bay, with the garden running straight to the water.
Candidasa and the wider Karangasem regency sit on Bali’s east coast, ninety minutes to two hours from the airport, under the bulk of Mount Agung. This was the last independent kingdom on the island and it still feels separate: quiet roads, working villages, old water palaces, and a coastline that faces the sunrise.
Why couples come out here
To get away from the south. Karangasem is what a lot of people picture when they imagine Bali before it filled up, and after two days on this coast the difference in pace is obvious.
The scenery is also different in kind. Agung dominates everything, the hills behind Sidemen are terraced and green, and the water palaces at Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung give you portrait locations that look like nowhere else in Indonesia. It is one of the better parts of the island for a pre or post-wedding shoot.
Where you can marry here
- Cliff and headland venues looking north up the coast
- Beachfront resorts and small boutique properties along the bay
- Private villas in the hills with Agung behind them
- Water palace grounds for portraits after the ceremony
Sunrise coast
The east faces the rising sun, so there is no ocean sunset here. What there is instead is a genuinely spectacular dawn: the sun coming out of the sea, Agung catching the first light, and mist still in the valleys.
We plan more morning ceremonies on this coast than anywhere else in Bali, partly for the light and partly because Agung is usually clear early and often cloud-covered by mid-afternoon.
Being straight about the beaches
They are mostly dark sand, some of them are rocky, and Candidasa town itself sits behind sea walls put in after the offshore reef was damaged. There are lovely stretches along this coast and they need to be picked rather than assumed.
If white sand and a swimmable lagoon are what your guests are expecting, the region by region guide will point you south instead. If you want quiet, a volcano, and a coastline that is not shared with anyone, this is the best value on the island. An intimate wedding out here goes a long way further than the same budget in Seminyak.
Good to know
Mount Agung is right there
Karangasem sits under Bali's highest and most sacred volcano. On a clear morning Agung fills the sky behind the coast, and it is a backdrop no southern venue can offer.
The quiet coast
There is no beach club scene out here and there is no traffic to speak of. The east coast kept the pace the south lost, and guests notice it within an hour of arriving.
Water palaces and old kingdoms
Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung are royal water gardens built by the last raja of Karangasem, all pools, fountains, and stone. They make extraordinary portrait locations and there is nothing like them in the south.
Dark sand and sea walls
Being honest about the coastline: much of it is grey or black sand, some of it is rocky, and parts of Candidasa are protected by sea walls after years of erosion. The setting is beautiful, and it is not a white-sand beach.
Good to know
Common questions
Is there a sunset here?+
Not over the water. The east coast faces the sunrise, and Agung and the hills are behind you as the sun goes down. A dawn ceremony with the sun coming up over the sea and the volcano lit behind you is the thing worth planning for out here.
How is the beach?+
Variable and mostly dark sand. Some stretches are lovely, some are rocky, and Candidasa town itself sits behind sea walls built after the reef was damaged decades ago. The good beaches are found rather than assumed, and we know which are which.
Is two hours too far for guests?+
It depends on the guest list. For a group happy to stay put for three or four nights it is fine and the quiet is the point. For guests who want to dip in and out of Seminyak, it is too far. We would rather say that now than have half your wedding stuck in a car.
Can we see Mount Agung from the venues?+
From many of them, on a clear day. Agung makes its own cloud, so it is often hidden by the afternoon and most visible early. It is one of the reasons we push morning ceremonies on this coast.
What is there for guests to do?+
Diving and snorkelling, the water palaces at Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung, Sidemen valley inland for rice terraces, and Besakih, the mother temple, on the slope of Agung. It is a rewarding area to explore and a poor one for nightlife.
