Can you get married on a beach in Moorea, just the two of you?
Yes.
That's the short answer. And it's often a question people ask a little shyly, as if the idea were almost too good to be allowed.
Just the two of you. The lagoon. The first light of the day. No venue, no seating chart, no guest list to negotiate.
Kylie and Ross did exactly that, one morning in Moorea.
Already married... and still something missing
Kylie and Ross are from New Zealand. They had already said yes back home, surrounded by family and friends. The paperwork, the party, all of it.
But something was missing. A moment that belonged only to them.
So they flew to Moorea to find it. Vows exchanged alone, on a beach, at sunrise. No audience. No protocol. Just enough to make it beautiful.
We clicked from the very first messages. The kind of couple who makes everything easy, because they know exactly what they want... and, just as important, what they don't.
What you really need
We plan elopements in Moorea often. And every time, we end up with the same list.
It's a short one.
The two of you. Obviously. But truly present, not running through logistics in your head.
The right light. At sunrise it's soft, low, almost pink. The heat hasn't arrived yet, and the beach is often still quiet. You can talk to each other in a whisper.
A bouquet. Kylie wanted red flowers. She got them. She's holding them in almost every frame, so that one detail matters.
Something to toast with. Two glasses, something cold, set on the sand. For the moment right after the yes, when you don't quite know what to do with your hands and mostly just want to laugh.
A team that handles the rest. This is the part most couples underestimate.
What a good team does on the morning of your vows
Eloping doesn't mean planning everything on your own.
It means someone else thinks of everything, so you don't have to think about anything.
For Kylie and Ross, we took care of the location, chosen for how the light falls at that exact hour. The timing, set to the sunrise. The bouquet. A simple setup on the sand, placed just before they arrived. And something to toast with.
Then, on the day, we become a little more than photographers.
We become the quiet witnesses. The ones who know where to stand so we're never between the two of you. The ones who say a word when emotions rise... and go silent when they spill over.
Nico reads the light and waits for the right gesture. Amélie films alongside him, in vertical format: the laughter, the hands that shake a little, the dress catching the wind. Two points of view, one story.
We could have brought in other vendors, and we're happy to when a project calls for it. But these are the mornings we love most. Very little, all of it chosen.
The rest is you.
Vows at dawn, first memories by the afternoon
The vows happened at dawn.
That same afternoon, Kylie and Ross already had a first selection of images in their private gallery, an edited clip ready to share, and every raw video sequence from the morning.
The same day.
Not three weeks later, once the emotion has faded and normal life has taken over. The same day, while they were still on the island. Still in it.
The full gallery and the drone film will follow within two to three weeks. Time to do things properly.
Planning your own elopement in Moorea
Thinking about it? A few things we've learned on the ground.
Choose the light before the place. Sunrise for softness and calm. Sunset for warm, golden tones. Never midday: the light is harsh, and it's far too hot to really be present.
Give yourselves a buffer after landing. Long-haul flights and time differences are real. Plan your vows a few days into your trip, once you've settled into island time.
Write a few words. Not a speech. A sentence, a letter, a promise. Read out loud, face to face, they do all the work.
Keep the details few, and choose them well. A bouquet of your favorite flowers, a flower crown, two glasses. Nothing that clutters.
Want aerial images? Plan ahead. Drone coverage needs about fifteen days for flight plans and authorizations, and the weather always has the final word.
Let someone guide you. The welcome guide, the conversations beforehand, a timeline built together... Everything settled before the day frees up space on the day itself.
[link: "Getting married as a couple in French Polynesia" guide]
Common questions
Is a beach elopement in Moorea legally binding? Not on its own. In French Polynesia, as everywhere in France, a civil marriage takes place at the town hall, in front of a civil registrar. A ceremony on the beach is symbolic. Many couples do what Kylie and Ross did: the legal wedding at home, the vows here.
Can foreign couples legally marry in French Polynesia? Yes. Two foreign nationals with no ties to France can legally marry in a commune of French Polynesia, without living there. The file is prepared with the town hall well in advance, and the ceremony takes place there with an interpreter.
Do we need an officiant to exchange vows? No. You can simply say your vows to each other, face to face. If you'd like a traditional Polynesian ceremony, we can connect you with partners we trust.
How much time should we plan for? For an elopement, we build the timeline together around short coverage, starting at two hours. And nobody watches the clock.
When do we get our first images? The next day, and sometimes the very same day, like Kylie and Ross. The full gallery follows a few weeks later.
The rest of their story
These are the first images. Kylie and Ross's full gallery, with the aerial views and the drone film, is coming soon to the journal.
[link: Kylie and Ross's full gallery]
And if you're dreaming of a yes for just the two of you... tell us about it on WhatsApp. We'll start by listening.
