Dozens of couples, about 90 per cent from abroad, arrive each week at coastal Danish town Aabenraa to get hitched. AABENRAA, Denmark – The ceremony lasted just around 10 minutes. Rings and a kiss were exchanged, and photos were taken.
A tear ran down the bride’s cheek. It was a special moment for the young couple. For the town, however, it was business as usual.
Aabenraa, a coastal Danish town with fewer than 17,000 inhabitants about half an hour’s drive from the German border, is not exactly a major tourist destination. Yet, the visitors it receives are surprisingly diverse. Many stay for just one or two nights, and come for the same reason: to get married.
Dozens of couples arrive each week, and about 90 per cent from abroad. The phenomenon is not limited to Aabenraa. The whole of Denmark has developed a reputation as the Las Vegas of Europe – a comparison that rankles some Danes – for its hassle-free weddings.
In 2023, the country issued more than 18,000 international wedding certificates, compared with about 31,500 to couples with at least one spouse residing in Denmark. Since it became the first country in the world to recognise same-sex partnerships in 1989, it has also been especially popular with LGBTQ+ couples. “I have nothing but kudos for getting married in Denmark,” said Mr Garry Sullivan, a professional drummer from New York City who initially planned to marry his German girlfriend in Hamburg.
“The process in Germany was horribly bureaucratic. One.