Picture your ideal wedding. You might imagine a grand religious ceremony, beautiful domes, and holy light shining down on a white dress. Or maybe you see your friends dancing on a pub terrace, cheering for you outside a town hall, or somewhere else entirely—what matters is that the people you love are there.
What you probably don’t picture is meeting Chris and Mitch, two strangers waiting for you and your future spouse by a plain fountain in the middle of Copenhagen. Judging by my soon-to-be wife’s confused laughter during our entire 20-minute wedding, that wasn’t what she had in mind either. Should I mention that neither of us is Danish, or even lives in Denmark?
My wife, who values her privacy and will stay anonymous here, is British-Polish and lives in the UK. I’m French. Brexit happened. To live together happily in London, we had to prove our commitment to the authorities.
Our immigration adviser—an odd but knowledgeable guy—was blunt about it. During a Zoom call about a year ago, he mimed loading a rifle. To end our long-distance relationship and start a life together, it was time for a quick, practical wedding.
But while love doesn’t wait, European bureaucracies take their time. Marrying in the UK required a “fiancé visa,” which would let me stay in the country while waiting to get married but wouldn’t allow me to work—making it financially impossible. Marrying in France meant dealing with French bureaucracy, and you can see why we ruled that out. We wondered if there was a simpler way to marry abroad.
A quick Google search led us to an agency called Marry Abroad Simply.
Despite hundreds of five-star reviews praising “excellent communication,” “genuine kindness,” and a “completely stress-free experience,” I couldn’t shake the feeling that using them was like getting a haircut at a salon named Best Haircuts. You’d hope for a bit more mystery.
But fine—I called the WhatsApp number on their website and mumbled something like, “Hello, I’d like to marry my partner as soon as possible, please.” Instead of saying, “That sounds a bit dodgy,” a charming woman named Leanne laid out her fast and efficient plan.
Plan A, she said, was Gibraltar—the easiest option for paperwork. But the marriage certificate could take weeks to arrive by mail. Plan B was Denmark, but city halls were busy, so we’d need to pay extra for a quicker ceremony in a park. Finally, she added, “I can get you married in Georgia in a couple of weeks.”
We chose a middle ground between speed and familiarity and picked the “Copenhagen Express” package.
We learned that Denmark is like the Las Vegas of Europe. Thanks to its relaxed, multilingual administration, couples from all over the world come to the Scandinavian kingdom to elope. This trend started over a decade ago, with Germans crossing the border to marry partners from outside the Schengen area. It’s a good business: international couples bring about 120 million kroner (around £13.7 million) to the economy each year.
Leanne, who spoke to me after our quick wedding, says her company helps about 150 couples in Denmark every month. She often deals with more complicated cases than ours, like same-sex couples where one partner comes from a country that doesn’t recognize their rights. A former government document specialist, she joined this industry in 2013, focusing on quick, hassle-free wedding planning.
Our own wedding was incredibly hassle-free. The day before, with our suitcases barely unpacked, we went to Copenhagen city hall, where the civil registrar desk also doubles as a gift shop. We queued with other couples to prove our identity to the Danish government. Fake bouquets were displayed on a table next to a sign saying “Flowers (for rent) on your wedding day.”We skipped the offer and headed straight to the flower shop at Copenhagen train station the next morning. The white and purple bouquet my partner picked out looked perfect against the grey Danish sky. In our ready-to-wear suit and dress, she looked stunning, and I cleaned up nicely too. We were set to walk down the aisle.
After a 15-minute stroll through Copenhagen’s Latin Quarter, with curious tourists and laid-back locals watching us, we reached our spot: the gardens of the Royal Library. It’s a pleasant, understated park right in the city center. We had no guests, as you’d expect, and Marry Abroad Simply arranged for Chris and Mitch to join us.
Chris and Mitch – bless them – were our professional witnesses, and the only ones we had. They introduced us to our officiant, a gentle man named Jesper. We stood a bit awkwardly in front of the building that held centuries of Danish literature. Jesper gave a short speech about how we were starting the first chapter of our shared story. Listening to the sniffling in the video Chris took, I think he got a bit emotional. But Leanne later told me they can do several of these a day, so maybe he just had a cold.
We were so caught up in how surreal it all felt that we didn’t really focus on Jesper’s words. We said our vows, swapped rings, and kissed to the polite applause of the onlookers. After some photos, including a selfie with the group, we crouched on a bench to sign the paperwork. My wife and I were officially married.
You might see that as unromantic, but I couldn’t disagree more. Throughout our time in Denmark, we kept running into other couples wandering around the city hall area. We could often tell from their looks and accents that they were there for the same reason as us. They were lovers trying to break down the barriers between them, showing their deepest commitment to faceless officials.
That day was us against the world. It was a day of courage and hope for what lay ahead. To my readers who want to get married, I’d say: skip the bridesmaids, the distant relatives, and the nervous photographers. What I hope for you is to simply marry abroad.
Jules Darmanin is a French journalist
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on your statement covering everything from the location to the legality and the romance of it all
General Location FAQs
Q Wait what is the Vegas of Europe
A Its a nickname for Tivoli Italy Just like Las Vegas Tivoli is famous for its quick nofuss wedding ceremonies You can get married in a beautiful historic villa or garden with almost no waiting period
Q Why is Tivoli called the Vegas of Europe
A Because its the goto spot for fast easy and legally binding weddings They have a special system that allows foreigners to get married with just a passport and a declaration of intent skipping the long residency requirements you find elsewhere in Italy
Q Is the marriage legally recognized back home
A Yes almost always You receive an official Italian marriage certificate As long as you get an apostille stamp on it it is legally recognized in the US UK Canada and most other countries
Q How long did the whole process actually take
A The signing and ceremony itself takes about 20 minutes The entire process from arriving at the town hall to leaving with your certificate usually takes under an hour
The Romantic 20 Minutes FAQs
Q Why is the ceremony so quick Is it rushed or impersonal
A Not at all The 20 minutes is just the legal part You get to choose a stunning locationlike the Villa dEste gardens or a beautiful town hall overlooking the valley The celebrant speaks in a clear romantic tone and you exchange rings and vows Its short sweet and intense with zero boring paperwork delays
Q What did the 20minute ceremony actually include
A It typically includes a welcome speech the reading of the legal articles your vows the exchange of rings the signing of the register and the official pronouncement Its the core of a wedding stripped of all the fluff
Q Can I have music or a photographer during those 20 minutes
