Thinking about getting married in Europe. Have backpacked in Great Britain, France, and Italy. That was 7 to 10 years ago, and much more carefree. We'd have to help our family get there, so I'm looking for ideas to get more bang for our buck, and still feel the spirit of a backdoor experience. We are open to visiting any country, as everything would be new to us. Thought I'd pick your brains as I research our options. Any ideas?
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
You'll need to be sure you research the requirements for getting married in the countries you are considering as well as researching travel details. Some countries have residency requirements that have to be met in order to have a legal wedding. Ireland's process, for example, is pretty rigorous if you are not an Irish citizen (or marrying one).
Posted by
Tulsa, OK
276 posts
Ooooh, what a wonderful idea!!! Even if, as Steve says, you have to make it a symbolic ceremony rather than a legal one, it's much more romantic and exciting than a cookie cutter wedding.
Central/Eastern Europe would give you more for your money and there are many beautiful places. I know first-hand that Poland has wonderful cities and pretty countryside. And I just saw Rick Steves' new show on Croatia and it looks amazing. But it might be a little more difficult to make arrangements.
An agriturismo in Italy or its equivalent elsewhere might be something to consider. Or maybe a B&B in some quaint little village in the UK could help you make arrangements. A British friend of mine sent me pictures of her outdoor wedding in Scotland and it was lovely without a lot of fuss.
Wherever you decide to get married, I wish you all the best!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
If I recall correctly, France (or was it Italy?) is one of the easier countries for non-residents to get married in. One thing to realize is that in some European countries, religious ceremonies are not legally sufficient to validate a marriage. That's why couples often have a brief civil ceremony before or after the religious one (my wife and I did this in Belgium). Fortunately, the US makes things easy. Most foreign marriages are considered valid in the US as long as it met the legal requirements in the country of origin. So, you won't have any trouble getting a European wedding ceremony validated here.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
689 posts
France has a 90 day residency requirement. We eloped and were honeymooning in France so we thought hey, why not just get married there. Ha! There was no way. It seems that there's a fair amount of red tape even if you're a French citizen, too!
I've heard of Americans getting married in Italy so maybe that's easier, but even then most people hire a planner to deal with the red tape and paperwork, which is in another language, after all.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8947 posts
That is where we got married too, in a beautiful little town called Christenfeld.
If you have a divorce in your background, one does have to submit paperwork ahead of time. I wouldn't just drive up to Denmark and after 3 days, expect to get married. There are agencies that specialize in this type of thing and they can tell you what kind of paperwork is needed for different citizens, etc.
Civil ceremonies are law I believe, in all of the EU countries.
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
265 posts
Denmark is very easy, there is no residence requiremens, (just 3 days to do the paperwork) - and the authorities are used to these kind of marriages, since many foreigners, especially Germans go to Denmark to get married, as it is very bureaucratic in Germany.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO (formerly, Windermere, FL)
340 posts
Sounds like a wonderful way to start a life together!
When we were in Sorrento, Italy there were 3 or 4 wedding groups from various countries that we came in contact with. The Amalfi area is so beautiful and seems to be quite a popular overseas destination for tying the knot. We happened to be sitting at dinner one night and struck up a conversation with a couple who were parents of a bride who had been married the day before. They said that they had worked with a wedding planner who handled all of the logistics and made it quite a simple process. I was left with the impression that seemed to be fairly affordable. One night we were at the Foreigners Club for dinner (amazing views over the Bay of Naples) and there were 3 or 4 bridal celebrations from various countries. Each group (maybe 20 - 30 each) had reserved a large, long table and enjoyed dancing to the band that plays in the evenings. It was such fun joining in with their celebrating!
Keep in mind that if you are planning a religious, sacramental ceremony, there will be requirements to fulfill prior to the wedding that you may need to have your local pastor involved in helping to coordinate. What ever you plan to do, allow plenty of time to work out the details.
It seems I have seen the "weddings in Europe" topic discussed in great detail on tripadvisor.com. You might check there for ideas, too. Congratulations!