Planning a destination wedding can seem overwhelming, but I promise it’s more rewarding and more memorable than a traditional wedding!
If you’re an adventurous couple looking for an unforgettable wedding, and if you’re wondering how to get married in Bora Bora, then this guide is for you!
I’m Tylee, a Destination Wedding & Elopement Photographer, and I’m here to make it even easier for you to plan your dream day in an amazing destination! Explore the best Bora Bora wedding venues, travel tips, transportation information, and more in my guide below.
If you’re wondering how to fly to Bora Bora, it’s simpler than you think!
You’ll need to fly into French Polynesia’s Faa’a International Airport (PPT) located on the main island of Tahiti. Lots of airlines fly into this location, including United, Air Tahiti, Hawaiian Airlines, Air France, Air New Zealand, and more.
Once you get to PPT, you’ll need a connection flight to Bora Bora via Air Tahiti (the only airline that flies inter-island routes). It is a 50 minute flight in a propeller plane (aka very very small!). If you can, request to sit on the left side of the plane for the best views as you’re coming into the island.
Once you make it to the Bora Bora Airport (BOB), your resort or hotel will most likely have a shuttle service to take you to your accommodations, and the good news is once you’re at your resort you don’t need much transportation! Rental cars are not really necessary in Bora Bora, your resort will do everything you need and they’ll handle transferring you to any excursions or activities you schedule throughout your stay.
Since the island is so small, there are only a few resorts on the island. But on the bright side, each of the options below are absolutely stunning and perfect for your French Polynesian wedding:
This is the best of the best. They offer Bora Bora wedding packages for any size, from grand affairs to intimate elopements, and they have several venues to choose from for the ceremony. A light filled chapel, poolside lawn, ocean front terrace, or a private island motu with mountain views, whatever your vision, they can make it a reality. They even offer a private culinary experience on your own island for two complete with fireworks and live music, the perfect way to wrap up an intimate wedding or elopement. You’ll be paired with an on-site wedding expert to help you plan every detail.
Get married in your overwater villa, the chapel, or a private islet with your closest friends and family (or just the two of you!). The Conrad’s team of wedding coordinators can assist you with all the details, and your big day could end with a private sunset champagne cruise.
Pick between one of their pre-made Bora Bora wedding packages that include hair and makeup services, a cake, and ceremony coordination, or create a custom package of your own that fits your wedding vision. Between multiple beaches, an indoor venue, and an oceanfront dock overlooking the mountains, you have several options to choose from for your dream wedding ceremony.
Is another one of my favorites because they go above and beyond to spoil their brides & grooms. Breakfast delivered by outrigger canoe to your overwater bungalow, dinner served on the beach or on your overwater deck, your wish is their command. In addition to the beach venue and private islet venue options, they also offer a really unique wedding experience on a private catamaran boat. They have so much to offer and are definitely worth considering in your Bora Bora wedding planning search.
There are three main wedding venues here, the over-water chapel, the beach ceremony, and the ocean ceremony and each one of them is stunning. The Intercontinental also offers a really unique Honeymoon Registry option so that your family and friends can contribute to you having the best Bora Bora wedding and honeymoon experience. From romantic dinners and spa treatments, to floral arrangements, hair and makeup, and decorations, they offer everything you might need for your dream Bora Bora wedding.
The best time of year to travel to Bora Bora is May through October for the best temperatures and the most sunshine. However, June to August is peak season, so if you’re hoping to avoid the swell of tourists, consider visiting in May, September, and October. Another busy time of year is over Christmas and New Years, so keep in mind that travel rates are steeper over that time period as well.
If you are planning a wedding or elopement in Bora Bora, should you hire a wedding planner? It’s purely a personal preference! Each of the resorts listed above have on-site teams that help you plan and coordinate your wedding, but if you want to be even more hands-free you can choose to hire a wedding planner.
There are not many Bora Bora wedding planners to choose from, so I would recommend hiring a destination wedding or elopement planner that is willing to plan your Bora Bora wedding. A few planners that I highly recommend are The Stars Inside and Chancey Charm.
Another thing to consider before hiring a wedding planner is that many destination wedding photographers (myself include) will also assist in the planning and coordination. So if you have a resort on-site team as well as an involved photographer, you may not necessarily need to hire an additional wedding planner. It’s totally a personal preference, and there’s no right or wrong answer!
Lastly, finding a photographer to capture your destination wedding in Bora Bora can be tricky. You can either opt for a Bora Bora wedding photographer who is based in the region you are getting married, or you can opt to hire a destination wedding photographer to travel with you there. Here are the pro’s and con’s to each option…
There are a handful of photographers based in the French Polynesia, and the benefit of going through them is that they have the ‘home court advantage.’ They know the lay of the land, where the best photo ops are, and they ultimately are comfortable shooting Bora Bora weddings. A potential disadvantage is that these photographers capture hundreds of weddings in Bora Bora per year. Since all they do is shoot weddings on the island, usually several per week and occasionally multiple in one day, you might not get the personal connection and undivided attention that you deserve. Finally, cultural and language barriers are another thing to keep in mind when working with Italian photographers.
Your other option is to find a destination wedding photographer to travel to Bora Bora and capture your wedding. The benefit to this; you have their undivided attention. They are traveling to Bora Bora to capture your wedding alone, so you’ll be getting their full effort, develop a deeper connection with them, and most likely receive a quicker return of your images. Plus, you won’t be navigating cultural and language differences. The disadvantage to this: you might have added expenses covering the photographer’s travel fees.
If your dream is to get married in Bora Bora…you’ve got this!! And, I guarantee you won’t regret it!!!
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