PhotoUbud · Gianyar, Bali

Elopement photography · Ubud

In short

Elopement photography in Ubud costs from $890 for 30 minutes covering the vows and your first portraits as a married couple. You get a preview within 48 hours and the full gallery of 15+ edited photos in 2–3 weeks. Getting ready is added with extra hours at $100; the celebrant, venue or landowner fee are booked separately.

Starting from: $890
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15+

Why here

Why choose Elopement photography in Ubud?

Most elopements in Bali happen at sunset on a cliff. Ubud offers the opposite, and for some couples it is the better fit: a ceremony in the first hour of the day, at the edge of a rice field or on a small lawn above the river, with mist still lying in the valley and nobody around but the two of you, a celebrant and perhaps a farmer on his way to work. The sound is birds and running water instead of surf, so you can actually hear each other’s vows. The light is soft and forgiving, the air is cool enough for a suit, and by the time the rest of Ubud is having breakfast you are married and walking back along the paddy dykes with the whole day still ahead.

How the shoot is planned

What does the shoot in Ubud look like?

The route

With an extra hour, the morning starts in the dark at your villa: hair and makeup ($90) if you want them, the dress hanging in the doorway, rings and letters on the table, the two of you seeing each other for the first time on the terrace as the sky lightens. Then a short drive to the field your celebrant or planner has arranged with the landowner. The 30 minutes start as you walk in along the dyke: the vows facing each other with the paddies and palms behind, the ring exchange from close up, the first kiss as a wide frame that shows how small and quiet the setting is. Straight after, portraits — under a palm, along an irrigation channel, on the bamboo bridge if the field has one — while the mist burns off. The preview reaches you within 48 hours, often before you have left Ubud.

The timing

Set the vows for about 6:45 to 7:15. The sun clears the eastern ridges a little after sunrise, so there is a window when the field is lit but the mist has not yet gone. This is also the most reliable hour in Ubud in every season: afternoon storms are near-daily from November to March, while mornings are usually dry. In the dry season, April to October, a late-afternoon ceremony in the fields is possible too, but expect more walkers and scooters on the paths. Rice is planted on a rolling cycle, so we look at the field a week before; if it has just been harvested, the planner can usually move you to a green one nearby.

What’s included

What does the package include?

The Elopement photography package in Ubud covers: 15+ edited photos; The vows and portraits straight after; getting ready with extra hours; Help with timing the ceremony to the light; A preview within 48 hours; Full gallery within 2–3 weeks. Nothing is added to the price after the shoot. Permits worth knowing about: Tegallalang Rice Terrace — entry around IDR 25,000, plus small donations at farmer checkpoints on the paths; swings are extra; Tibumana Waterfall — entry around IDR 20,000; a short stepped path through jungle; Kanto Lampo Waterfall — entry around IDR 15,000–20,000; sarongs are not needed; Sayan Ridge & Ayung Valley — depends on the villa or venue; many allow guests' shoots, some charge a location fee.

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Portfolio

Elopement photography in Ubud

Frames from recent shoots, to plan yours against.

Before you book

FAQ — Elopement photography in Ubud

Can a rice field really be our ceremony venue?

Yes, for a very small ceremony. Every field belongs to a farming family and is part of a shared irrigation system, so permission is asked first and a contribution is usual; your celebrant or planner arranges it. Keep it light — no heavy arches or chairs on the dykes, nothing that could damage the crop. A villa lawn overlooking the fields is the alternative if you want more space.

Can we add a Balinese blessing to our elopement?

Many couples in Ubud do. A local priest can perform a blessing at your villa or a suitable place nearby, arranged by your planner, with offerings prepared by the priest’s family. You both wear a sarong and sash. It is a blessing, not a legal marriage, and it can come before or after your vows. Allow an extra hour so neither part is rushed.

Is a sunrise elopement too early for hair and makeup?

It is early, but it works. The artist ($90) arrives about an hour and a half before you leave, so for a 7 am ceremony that means starting around 4:30–5:00. Ubud’s morning is cool and less humid than midday, so makeup holds well. Many couples nap after breakfast and then enjoy the afternoon as newlyweds.

Can we have aerial photos of the ceremony in the fields?

Often, yes. Ubud is well away from the airport’s restricted airspace, and a small drone above the paddies gives a striking frame of two people in a grid of green. Add the drone add-on for $150; we confirm with the landowner and keep clear of any temple or ceremony nearby. The pilot flies during portraits, not during the vows, so it never interrupts the moment.

Same shoot elsewhere