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 day, the clerk said, ‘If you want to get married quickly, you should go to Denmark.’” Sullivan and his now-wife followed that advice, joining the roughly 800 couples who have said “I do” in Aabenraa’s two centuries-old town hall in 2024.
The experience was better than expected and relatively affordable. The total costs came to just over US$1,000 (S$1,340) for four people, including trains, a night in a hotel and restaurant visits. Central to Denmark’s appeal is its lack of red tape.
Couples can do all the paperwork online, no birth certificates are needed and applications are usually handled within five working days. If all goes smoothly, the whole process can take between seven and 10 days, and the certificates are recognised worldwide. That is a stark contrast to Germany, where international couples must submit original documents and bureaucracy can take up to a year; and to Spain and France, where at least one partner must be a resident.
Many European countries also require a recently issued birth certificate, which can pose a problem for people from conflict zones such as Ukraine or Gaza. “Most marriage laws are built for two Germans getting married in Germany or two Irish people getting married in Ireland,” said Mr Rasmus Sorensen, founder of Getting Married in Denmark, a service that helps couples navigate the process. “But today, you have more complex situations.
People meet across borders and, all of a sudden, the laws work against the couples.” Denmark is also a popular wedding destination for same-sex couples from countries in which such partnerships are not legal or recognised. They do it as “a symbolic thing.
It’s a commitment within the couple”, said Ms Martina Lanotte, an LGBTQ+ wedding photographer based in Copenhagen. “Some couples are openly queer for the first time in public and it takes some time for them to realise that no one’s going mock them,” she added. “It’s just beautiful to watch.
” Ms Eva Aaen Damsleth, a marriage registrar in Aabenraa, has officiated ceremonies for around 15 years and witnessed how civil weddings have evolved from simple events to extravagant affairs. People come with harpists and pets, and one couple showed up in roller skates. Some dress in sweatpants, others in elaborate formal attire.
Since 2023, couples have also had the option of getting married on the beach for no extra cost. While Aabenraa primarily attracts visitors from Germany, people come from all over the world, Ms Damsleth said, adding that she has yet to marry anybody from Greenland or Vatican City. To accommodate the demand and diversity, the town has ramped up capacity to handle foreign weddings to five days a week, and offers ceremonies in English, German and Danish.
During one recent marriage, a Russian-speaking bride teared up, and Ms Damsleth fished a tissue out of her drawer without interrupting her speech. “Tears are my success criteria,” she later explained. Aabenraa’s efforts seem to be working.
In 2023, the number of international weddings doubled to more than 1,000. Local businesses are adapting in turn. A gift shop near the town hall now offers a commemorative poster of the building, and a century-old photo studio has seen sales surge.
A cafe directly opposite the town hall has also become an unofficial post-wedding venue, with staff making sure there is always a ready bottle of champagne on ice. More marriages can make a difference for local economies. Aero, a Baltic island beloved by couples, hosts about 2,000 ceremonies a year, which translates to an annual boost of almost US$2 million, according to VisitAero, the island’s tourism board.
While Aabenraa is enjoying the boost, its ambitions are not only economic. “We want our population to grow and have more children and young families here,” said Mr Thomas Andresen, a former mayor of the Aabenraa municipality. “Wedding tourism is part of a bigger strategy.
It’s an opportunity to make a good impression, so that Aabenraa is the first choice for couples who want to settle in Denmark.” On a Thursday afternoon in Aabenraa, the sun broke through the clouds. Ms Damsleth closed the door behind the last couple of the day and exhaled deeply.
It had been a busy week with around 15 weddings, and she was ready to go home and watch a movie with a glass of rose. “Sometimes, I’m exhausted from all the smiling and switching between so many languages,” she said. “But I love my job.
You meet happy people from all over the world, and you kind of make a difference.” Like her colleagues, she hopes that some of the couples she married will return as tourists. For Sullivan, the newlywed drummer, that seems all but certain.
“This town is a hidden gem,” he said. “We are absolutely coming back for our anniversary next year.” BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
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