Getting Married in Denmark: A Step-by-Step Guide (Part 2)

So you’re here because you’re either a mixed-nationality or mixed-religion couple looking for a way to get married without the endless paperwork headache, or you’ve already read my previous article, “Getting Married in Denmark: A Step-by-Step Guide (Part 1)” and you’re now ready for the next steps. Either way, welcome!

The Next Steps After Document Submission

Once the big admin work is done, the good news is that things get a lot simpler. All you need to do is wait patiently while the agent (Getting Married in Denmark) submits your application and receives your approval from the Danish government. When the approval comes in, you’ll be asked to choose the city hall for your ceremony.

Here’s a friendly heads-up: popular venues like Copenhagen City Hall tend to be fully booked unless you secure a date months in advance. Our agent sent us several options; many of them incredibly charming, including a castle-like city hall in the countryside! We loved it, but since my in-laws were joining us, we chose Copenhagen for convenience. Once you’ve agreed on an available date, your agent will take care of the booking.

Copenhagen City Hall, where I got married 🙂

And Then What’s Next?

After securing your date and venue, it basically turns into a mini wedding planning session (if you’re also hosting a reception). But if, like us, you’re simply going to sign papers and enjoy the moment, it feels more like planning a holiday with a sprinkle of romance hehe.

Even though we only had a civil ceremony, I still prepared a dress and bouquet. If you don’t want the hassle of ordering flowers, Copenhagen City Hall rents bouquets – practical and stress-free! The agent can also recommend florists, photographers, and other vendors if you want extra help. They truly are a wedding one-stop-shop.

You may like this article: 48 Hours in Amsterdam – A Quick Trip, Big Memories

Before Your Civil Ceremony

You’ve made it to Copenhagen… now what? One day before your ceremony, you need to register you and your partner at the same city hall where the ceremony will take place. If you’re in Copenhagen, you’ll find the registration counter inside the little gift shop to the left of the main entrance. That’s where you check in and leave your passports.

Don’t worry, they won’t keep them for long. They have a rule about not holding passports for more than a certain number of hours or something. While waiting, you’re free to wander around, grab an oh-so-good smørrebrød with fresh Scandi salmon, and treat yourself to a Danish pastry (or three! You go, friend!). By the time you’re done snacking, your passports will be ready, woot woot! 🙂

Me and my best friend Deisha (husband is too shy to be on Kata Bella hehe)

On Your Wedding Day

“Follow the hearts!” That’s what the lady at the registration desk told us – and she meant it, literally. Heart stickers on the floor guide you to your room. Once you reach the end of the trail, wait there until someone comes down and calls your names. Then it’s time to say “I do!”

I had a quick peek online at what the room looked like, but nothing prepared me for how beautiful it was. The murals felt straight out of a Hans Christian Andersen storybook, the kind I grew up reading. We were told they represent the journey of love from the first meeting to a shared life together. Speaking of Hans Christian Andersen, our celebrant ended our ceremony with a quote that has stayed with me ever since:

“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.”

A Little Closing Note

If you’re considering Denmark for your civil ceremony, take this as a sign: it’s worth it! The process is straightforward, the atmosphere feels magical without being stiff or formal, and the experience becomes a beautiful memory rather than a bureaucratic nightmare. If you love simple, meaningful moments (with the bonus of pastries and fairy-tale murals), Denmark might just be the perfect place to start your forever. Oh and by the way, congratulations on your engagement! And good luck!

You might also want to read

16 Mar 2026 by Bella in Info

Creative Connections: 5 Bali-based Illustrators and Designers

(Main image by Hemo Art) “Bells, do you know any freelancers who can help me with a design?" Aside from “Where’s your favourite bakery to go for scones?” - this is probably one of the most common questions I get from friends (knowing I work in the creative field). Lucky for you, I do know some talented folks, but it really depends on what you’re after. A logo? Branding services? Graphic design? Product design? Illustrations? Let me help you out! Hemo ArtClara Claudia SafistaFinda AyuKumonjiaBunny Hemo Art The world of Hemo Art is imaginative, whimsical, and full of personality. Their work screams fun, colourful, and cute, with a signature style featuring quirky monster characters you can’t help but love. Illustration is their strong suit, making them a perfect fit if you’re looking to build a brand, create a children’s storybook, or design playful packaging. 👩🏻‍🎨 Specialty: Illustration and children story books🎨 Portfolio: www.behance.net/hemo-art📱 Instagram: @hemo.art Playful, imaginative, and cheerful, Hemo Art is perfect for kids projects Clara Claudia Safista Clara is a multi-talented artist with a diverse skill set. She helps brands grow through brand identity development, logo creation, digital and printed collaterals, vector work and illustrations, as well as technical packs for the fashion industry. Bonus point: She’s also an absolute sweetheart, making every collaboration feel easy and enjoyable. 👩🏻‍🎨 Specialty: Illustration and graphic design🎨 Portfolio: https://claraclaudiakeke.myportfolio.com/📱 Instagram: @claraclaudia.14 If you're starting a business, Clara can translate your vision into a brand kit You may also like this article: The Vibrant Journey of Xoxo Bali - 2024 local shop guide Finda Ayu If you don’t know already, Finda Ayu is the creative mind behind Bali’s vibrant merchandise brand, Xoxo Bali. If you head over to their page, you’ll quickly get a sense of her illustration style and visual identity. While her main work lies in product design, she’s also highly versatile and can adapt to whatever you need on the graphic design side - from social media content and promotional materials to branding assets, packaging, and more. 👩🏻‍🎨 Specialty: Illustration, product design, and graphic design🎨 Portfolio: https://www.behance.net/findaayu📱 Instagram: @xoxobali Finda has collaborated with various big brands like Disney, Surfer Girl, and Bali Soap Kumonjia Their main work is illustration, known for a soft watercolour style, but they can actually adapt to all kinds of visual directions- from cute and playful to clean and corporate. They also handle brand kits if you’re starting a business, photography, motion graphics, promotional materials, menu design, product design, and more. Basically, whatever style or creative support you need, Kumonjia delivers. 👩🏻‍🎨 Specialty: Illustration and graphic design🎨 Portfolio: https://kumonjia.myportfolio.com/illustration📱 Instagram: @kumonjia From passion projects to corporate briefs, Kumonjia can adapt effortlessly Bunny Bunny works on her personal project Bunny Bone - a collection of reflections about herself, women, and Indonesia’s culture and people, which she deeply loves. The works are mostly acrylic paintings for now. More recently, she’s also been developing Bunny Jitsu, a jiu jitsu-inspired art project featuring digital art, oil pastel drawings, and merchandise.So if you’re looking for acrylic projects or jiu jitsu-inspired commission work, from merchandise to murals, she’s your girl. Ps. She is also the founder of Rumah Rabbit Bali, an art space dedicated to creativity and playful learning. 👩🏻‍🎨 Specialty: acrylic painting, oil pastel drawing, digital art🎨 Portfolio: Check out her works on Instagram📱 Instagram: @bunnybone, @bunnyjitsu, @rumahrabbitbali Some of Bunny’s recent work includes a mural at a new jiu jitsu gym in Jakarta You may also like this article: Things to do in Bali: Fun Art Classes at Rumah Rabbit And there you have it - talented creatives from Bali who are definitely worth keeping on your radar. Whether you’re building a brand, working on a passion project, or simply need a fresh visual touch, these lovely humans might just be the collaborators you’re looking for. If their work speaks to you, don’t hesitate to reach out and say hello. Who knows, it might just be the beginning of a beautiful creative partnership. Hope you find this useful, and thank you for reading! 😊

29 May 2026 by Bella in Info

Things to Do in Canggu: Where Every Plan Turns Into Three More

Things to do in Canggu Here we are on another article about Canggu, because things to explore in this little bubble are endless. I have written a few articles about Canggu restaurants alone, and then a guide for first-timers, and now, onto a deeper dive, things to do in Canggu. Or maybe more like, what do you actually do when you live here? The funny thing about Canggu life is how quickly you realise that people here are somehow always busy doing absolutely non-urgent things haha. One person is heading to pilates, another is rushing to Hyrox, another is getting ready for an ice bath, while someone else is already on their second iced latte discussing “creative burnout” at 10am. If you feel attacked, don’t worry, I’m one of these suspects too lol. Ok, so here’s the best that I can do to summarise the fun things to do in Canggu. Eat absolutely everything One of the best things to do in Canggu is simply eating your way through it. The food scene is insanely diverse. In one day you can have Indonesian warung meals, Australian brunch, Japanese ramen, Italian pasta, French pastries, Mexican tacos, aaaaand more, aaaaand somehow all within 10 minutes of each other. Dangerous for both your wallet and your self-control, I guess. You can read my articles about Canggu restaurants here: My Little Canggu Restaurant List - Part 1 My Little Canggu Restaurant List - Part 2 Breakfast Spots in Canggu Worth Waking Up Early For Vegan Cafes in Canggu: 5 Nice Spots for your Daily Greens Bali on a Budget: Cheap Eats in Canggu for Under 100K What else is there to do but eat? From left to right: Muda by Suka, Soogi Roll, Cure Welcome to Bali’s Capital of Wellness I wasn’t joking when I mentioned about people going to Hyrox because I feel like the wellness era never ends here. I’m interested to know how many regular gyms there are in Canggu alone, not to mention yoga and pilates studio, jiu jitsu and MMA gyms, padel courts, and other sports centre for other types of sports. Canggu is the it place for wellness activities whatever you like it or not, and so that’s why "wellness" sits at number two on this list. My go-to gyms and some recommendations: Woven Jiu Jitsu (Jiu Jitsu and mobility) Wellness Gym (Weightlifting, pool, sauna, and magnesium pool) Alpha Gym (Weightlifting and sauna) BYND Fitness Club (Weightlifting and lap pool) Undefeated Gym (Weightlifting, pool, sauna, steam room, and ice bath) Recovery but make it social Recovery culture in Canggu deserves its own category because people here recover harder than they party. Ice baths, steam rooms and saunas, sports massages, IV drips, breathwork - you name it. Recovery spaces have also become such a social thing here. Sometimes people don’t even go because they’re sore, they go because their friends are there, and afterwards everyone gets smoothies together. A very Canggu thing to do. My go to recovery spots: Amo Spa (Sauna, ice bath, steam room, jacuzzi, pool, hammam) The Block (Sauna, ice bath, jacuzzi, pool) Island Spots Club (Sauna, ice bath, jacuzzi, pool) Air Seseh (Sauna, ice bath, pool) Recovery, lift, recovery. From left to right: Bynd, Wellness, Air Seseh Catching (or Watching) Waves I don’t surf, and ironically I’m kind of just okay with beaches. But surfing is basically the unofficial daily ceremony of Canggu. People either head out super early in the morning or go for a sunset surf session in the afternoon. If you’ve never surfed before, don’t worry, there are plenty of surfing lessons around Canggu too. So you can absolutely live out your surfer life for a day if you want. Question, though…what do these surfers do for a living that they have all the time in the world to be at the beach every single day? Because I want that job. Beaches I go watch people surf: Berawa Beach Batu Bolong Beach Echo Beach Pererenan Beach Cafe hopping like it’s a full time job Ok this one, I do a lot. There are cafes absolutely everywhere, some are for working, some are for people-watching, some are for post-workout matcha, and some are clearly designed for someone to sit dramatically with a laptop answering emails. I would say, spending a slow morning cafe hopping is one of my favourite things to do in Canggu. Good coffee, good food, good weather, and nowhere particularly important to be. My regular coffee spots : 7AM Bakers Monsieur Spoon Fine by Satu Satu Two Face Coffee Baked Final Thoughts I feel like this is why so many people end up staying in Canggu longer than planned even though it's crazy busy. The lifestyle here has a way of pulling you in. Your day starts casually with coffee, and before you know it, you’ve somehow been out all day doing a bunch of other things, hehe. Hope you find this helpful and thank you for reading!

18 Feb 2026 by Bella in Asia

How to Stay in Thailand Visa-Free for 90 Days

If you’re Indonesian, you probably already know that Thailand is among the countries we can enter without a visa. But I only recently found out that not many people realise you can actually stay for a total of 90 days. You get 60 days visa-free when you first enter, and then you can apply for an extension at the local immigration office. At first, I thought I needed a visa agent because I’d never done anything like this before and was scared of getting rejected. But when I went to the immigration office in Chiang Mai for the first time, they happily explained the steps. It was surprisingly easy - and you can absolutely do it yourself. Check how many days you can stay in Thailand visa-free on Thai e-visa official website You may also like this article: A Guide to Doi Suthep Temple, Chiang Mai: 4 Things to Know The first 60 daysArriving in ThailandAfter your first 30 daysApplying for your extensionFinal Thoughts The first 60 days After checking several trusted official websites, the rule (at the time I’m writing this) hasn’t changed. Indonesians can enter Thailand visa-free and stay for 60 days, despite the uncertain news you might have seen on social media. What shocked me was that during check-in at Soekarno–Hatta, when I showed my return ticket, the staff questioned my 60-day stay - even the immigration officer seemed unsure. But don’t worry. If you’re ever in doubt, you can check the official Thai e-visa official website and enter your nationality (if you’re not Indonesian) to confirm whether you can enter visa-free and how long you’re allowed to stay. Fill in TDAC online before you fly Arriving in Thailand Don’t forget to fill in the TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) form before arriving in Thailand - you can do it a day before your trip to stay organised. In the form, you’ll be asked for your return flight details. When you’re in the immigration line, you just need to scan the barcode sent to your email. As long as you haven’t been going in and out of Thailand a suspicious number of times in the past few months, you should be fine. I landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, and after scanning the QR code, they didn’t even ask me any questions. You may also like this article: What It’s Like to Live in Bali: Cost, Culture, and Everyday Life After your first 30 days Depending on where you’re staying in Thailand, you can look up the nearest immigration office. I was based in Chiang Mai, and the immigration office there is conveniently located inside a shopping mall called Central Festival Chiang Mai. After you’ve spent a month in the country, or basically before your 60 days run out, you can apply for a 30-day extension. Here’s what you’ll need: Applying for your extension It’s actually pretty straightforward once you have all your documents ready. You can show up during opening hours, but like most administrative offices, I’d suggest going early. I’m not sure about other cities, but in Chiang Mai they’re closed for lunch from 12–1pm. When I arrived, an officer checked our documents first. They’ll let you know if you’re missing anything or forgot to fill in a section. If everything’s in order, they’ll sign it off and give you a queue number. After that, you just sit inside and wait for your number to be called. When it’s your turn, hand over the checked documents and pay the 1,900 Baht fee in cash. Then you wait another 15–30 minutes (depending on how busy it is). Your name will be called, they’ll take a quick photo of you, and hand back your passport with a new stamp giving you another 30 days to stay in this beautiful country. In my personal experience, I wasn’t asked a single question, and the staff were actually pretty nice - you know how immigration offices can sometimes feel a bit intimidating? Anyway, that’s it. The whole process was done in one day, which was great and super efficient. Final Thoughts So yes, staying in Thailand visa-free for 90 days is completely doable for Indonesians and many other nationalities, and you don’t need an agent to make it happen. It might feel intimidating at first (especially with all the mixed information online), but once you understand the steps, it’s actually very manageable. My biggest tips are to double-check official sources, prepare your documents properly, and go early to the immigration office. That’s really it. Hope you find this article useful and happy holiday!

Getting Married in Denmark: A Step-by-Step Guide (Part 2)