Travel Partners Getting Married in Europe

People talk about destination weddings in Italy all the time here on the forum so I have to assume that it is a country where this can happen.

I’ve also seen the suggestion to have a simple civil ceremony in the home country for legal purposes, and then have the “wedding” in any country they want to personal reasons.

My daughter’s cousin-in-laws got married in Italy - Florence - July 2017. She’s Chinese and he’s Indian, no Italian connection except they love Italy. Would have to ask if they got married here first at city hall.

Denmark and Gibraltar are mentioned as the easiest countries to do this, but I have no experience in it.

I think most "destination" weddings sre ceremonial or religious, but not "legal" (no state document).

It is possible to get a legal wedding in another country as long as you follow the laws of that country. https://www.usbirthcertificates.com/articles/marraige-abroad-us-citizens

Keep in mind that if the marriage fails, you would get your divorce in the country you are living in at that time. Not that that would ever happen. :)

To get married in another country legally, you will need to follow the
local law

And the local law I'm every country I have looked at so far, except Denmark, says NO.

I just checked Italy on a whim, and found that Italy does allow US citizens to marry there. Here are the rules: https://consfiladelfia.esteri.it/resource/2015/05/74453_f_cons57istruzioniattonotorioingleseNEW.pdf

That said, it sounds like a pain and a half - I would be more inclined to have the civil ceremony in the US and a ceremonial one in Europe, as was mentioned above.

Should I ever feel the need to marry again I'm going to want some kind of a ceremony either up in one of the Riesenrad cars in the Prater in Vienna, or at the raven cages in the Tower of London.

If you get married in Italy...

Divorce Italian Style

It may not have aged well (I'm sure it's pretty cringe-worthy by many of today's standards, if you take it seriously) but a classic 1961 film that offers a glimpse into previous times. With a very young Marcello Mastroianni. Something to think about on your long flight over to attend that fancy Italian wedding. Perhaps ITA should have this on its in-flight entertainment system!

My American-born college roommate, who has lived in either the UK or Germany for years, married her 4th husband - a German - in Denmark - on the island of Aero I believe.

She told me it was easier than getting married in Germany! I did a quick google search and Google seems to agree.

In 1993, I proposed marriage to a German woman in Ireland. I met her in Dublin on my second day of my trip and spent the next 13 days with her. She was brilliant -- doing last-minute research on a dissertation that would finalize her Ph.D. in English literature as part of her visit -- but that might have worked against me. She didn't say "no" or "yes" to my query; she said "yes, maybe." She went back to Germany, and I returned to Chicago. After a month of phone calls and `12 letters, she broke it off in the last missive.

One other interesting element to the story was that I proposed to her in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland, where a centuries-old matchmaking festival is held. At the time, I did not know about the town's ties to "romance".

That is a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.
Coincidence? I don't think so.

Ireland. Daughter is marrying at the end of March. Both Americans. There are rules but nothing difficult.

My friends got "legally" married in Venice, it was a lot of work. Wow Italian bureaucracy, who knew? Another couple didn't bother with all those messy details and when it came time to divorce, guess what? They discovered it was never legal. Which you would think made things easy, but of course not.

Do the real deed in the US following all applicable laws, and then have a ceremony/party in the country of your choice. Why complicate things?

The question has significance to me, not because I want to get married done that a few times not anxious for a repeat. But because I once married a young lady that was in the US on a tourist visa. Guess what, not exactly legal as it shows intent to overstay your visa. Never crossed my mind. Took us years to settle it.

Both sons and daughter-in-laws were "married" in foreign countries. The hoops were just too big and high for an official wedding. So they were quietly married by a JP in the US and had big ceremony in each country. Worked real well with great pictures, entertainment and lots of friends and relatives. The ceremony had all the proper props -- bride maids, groommen, etc. To this day this is the date they celebrate for their wedding. A couple of "old" relatives thought this was dishonest but they are gone now. I don't how to exactly deal with the question of a fake wedding. It was real for us and them.

Well if you want to get technical, what is a "real" wedding? Isn't it when you go downtown and get a license? So the bit at the church is a big ceremony leading up to a party.