Where To Have The Nicest Legal Tahitian Wedding In The Islands Of Tahiti
You asked! By French law, a legal wedding ceremony must take place at the City Hall of a chosen commune before the Mayor (or one of his/her representatives) to be deemed legal. It is rather short and, most couples then arrange a symbolic ceremony of their own, to complete the day and have their always-dreamed-about-it Tahiti wedding celebration. So the aesthetics of the City Hall’s marriage room (when there is one) do not usually matter much, as we rarely do photos there.
Sometimes though, a couple will only want to have a legal Tahitian wedding with no further {beach – mountain – forest – lagoon – you name it} celebration. In this scenario, if they will only have photos taken during their City Hall ceremony then we will want to choose a pretty City Hall, or add some decor to make it prettier.
Photo Credit: Jean-Philippe Yuam
How Do City Halls Look Like And Compare In French Polynesia
First off, not all City Halls in French Polynesia have a marriage room.
The City Halls on the capital island of Tahiti are much bigger. Since they are celebrating a lot more local weddings throughout the year, most have a dedicated marriage room. However, my couples rarely stay on the island of Tahiti, which is more of a transit island before they transfer to Moorea or fly to the outer islands for their Tahitian wedding.
With the majority of my couples getting legally married in Moorea, we most often go to the City Hall of Haapiti. We sometimes go to the City Hall of Teavaro, which is closer to the Sofitel Moorea. When the celebratory ceremony is to be held on a private beach on the Western side of the island, then the Haapiti City Hall en route to the beach ceremony is usually the way to go.
However, when my couples opt for a Sofitel Moorea wedding and have all of their guests staying there, we then want to spend as little time as possible transferring to the City Hall and back to the resort. In this scenario, we will hold the legal ceremony at the Teavaro City Hall, which is located just a few minutes away from the Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea.
There are a few other (much smaller) City Halls around the island of Moorea, where we will go only when that makes the most sense with your specific timeline for the day.
The City Hall in Bora Bora has a rather pretty marriage room, located in the main town of Vaitape.
Smaller Tahitian City Halls will conduct weddings in the Mayor’s office.
Tahitian Wedding In Tahiti
#1 Pirae City Hall
This one most definitely tops the charts with its glorious building!
Photo Credit: Helene Havard
Shannon & Rhys (Australia) legally married in Tahiti, at the City Hall of Pirae, before holding a Sofitel Moorea wedding with their guests the next day.
#2 Punaauia City Hall
Luciana & Ottavio (Italy & Romania) legally married in Tahiti, at the City Hall of Punaauia, right before sailing to the Sofitel Moorea on a catamaran for their wedding lunch by the water with their witnesses.
#3 Papeete City Hall
Mel & Gavin (Australia) legally married in Tahiti, at the City Hall of Papeete, on the first day of their cruise in French Polynesia when the ship stopped there; they held their celebratory ceremony in Moorea when the ship stopped there the next day.
Tahitian Wedding In Bora Bora: #4 Vaitape City Hall
Cammie & Bernard (United-States) legally married in Bora Bora, at the City Hall of Vaitape, before holding their celebratory ceremony on a private Bora Bora islet with Nelly as their Bora Bora officiant.
Photo Credit: Sadry Ghacir
So did James & Lotty (New-Zealand) who legally married in Bora Bora, at the Vaitape City Hall, before heading back for their Four Seasons Bora Bora wedding on the beach.
Tahitian Wedding In Moorea: #5 Haapiti City Hall
Photo Credit: Jean-Philippe Yuam
Rebecca & Marcel (Australia) legally married in Moorea, at the Haapiti City Hall.
Tahitian Wedding In Rangiroa: #6 Avatoru City Hall
Photo Credit: Mina
Ilaria & Enzo (Italy) legally married in Rangiroa, at the Avatoru City Hall.
As noted earlier, most of my couples are getting legally married in Moorea, where the City Halls do not have a pretty marriage room… but we can make it prettier for you!
I’ve also been to other Tahitian islands to help with my couples getting married in Tahiti legal requirements. I am always happy to meet you anywhere your heart is set to having your Tahitian wedding.
But before anything, read my Tahiti Legal Wedding: Definitive Guide To Marrying In The Islands article, this will help you getting started!
** last updated on November 20, 2020 **
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