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The best outdoor spots to get married in Copenhagen in 2022

The city of Copenhagen has nearly doubled the number of locations at which couples can marry in civil ceremonies around the city.

Published: 21 January 2022 10:49 CET

Could a festive Tivoli be the perfect romantic backdrop for your wedding? Photo: Nils Meilvang/Ritzau Scanpix

Couples wishing to marry in civil ceremonies in Copenhagen will have seven new locations to choose from, following the expansion of Copenhagen Municipality’s open-air wedding program (Vie i det fri).

The seven new locations include the royal pavilions at Nordre Toldbod, atop Maersk Tower, at Superkilen park, on the rustic wooden schooner Halmø, during the Copenhagen Light festival, during the Tour de France festival in Fælledparken, and in the Glyptotek art museum.

In 2020 and 2021, the Municipality had to relocate several indoor ceremonies outdoors as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adding six new outdoor locations gives couples more options to marry with comfort and confidence, said head of Copenhagen Municipality’s wedding office Jesper Hyldal.

“I think people feel safe outside, where they can keep their distance and there’s fresh air,” Hyldal told The Local.

“And they know their ceremony can happen and there won’t be restrictions on how many people can be in a small space,” he said.

Presently, couples marrying in Copenhagen City Hall are limited to 50 guests, and masks are required (except for the wedding couple during the ceremony). However, there’s no mask requirement or guest limit for outdoor civil ceremonies.

Here are 16 open-air wedding spots for civil ceremonies in Copenhagen in 2022:

Kongens Have by Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Castle in spring 2018. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Kongens Have, or the King’s Park, is one of Copenhagen’s oldest and most popular parks. Located in central Copenhagen, the 400-year-old park was founded by King Christian IV.

Civil ceremonies will take place underneath the pergola in the park’s southwestern corner, among the park’s sprawling flower beds, tree-lined walkways, neatly trimmed lawns and views of Rosenborg Castle.

Amaliehaven

The fountain at Amaliehaven near royal residence Amalienborg. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Amaliehaven, or Amalie Garden, offers a combination of nature and city from this small park nestled between Amalienborg and the harbour in central Copenhagen. Among the petite park’s flower beds, couples can say ‘I do’ with a view of the Amalienborg palace complex, Frederik’s Church, and the Royal Danish Opera across the harbour.

Kastellet

Photo by Sandra Grünewald on Unsplash

Kastellet, founded in 1626 by King Christian IV, is today considered one of Europe’s best preserved fortresses. Now a public park, Kastellet is a popular and picturesque green space a stone’s throw from the famous Little Mermaid statue.

The Municipality’s civil ceremonies will take place in front of the fortress’s old red gates, beneath big oak trees, encircled by swans swimming in the old fort’s moat.

The royal pavilions at Nordre Toldbod

The royal pavilions on the quay of Nordre Toldbod have long served as a reception spot for the Danish royal family and heads of state upon arrival by sea.

Now, couples can tie the knot in this waterfront spot, next to the choppy blue harbour waters, with the Italian Renaissance Port Authority Building as a backdrop.

The garden at Copenhagen City Hall

Copenhagen City Hall is known for its richly ornamented red brick facade and slim clock tower. A lesser-known feature of one of the city’s most recognisable buildings is the enclosed garden within.

A common spot for toasting champagne following civil ceremonies taking place within City Hall, the hidden garden is now a wedding destination in its own right.

The garden at the Royal Library

Denmark’s Royal Library is among the largest libraries in the world, and the largest in Scandinavia, housing around 40 million books, publications, and documents. Tucked behind the library, sits one of the city’s most tranquil spots: the Royal Library Garden.

If a quiet ceremony under the shade of old trees in the company of the world’s love stories sounds idyllic, the Library Garden might be the perfect place to start the next chapter of your own love story.

Østre Anlæg Park

Øster Anlæg in 2004. Photo: Niels Ahlmann Olesen/Ritzau Scanpix

Østre Anlæg is a public park stretching from the National Gallery (SMK) to Østerport Station. Once part of the old city fortifications, today the park is home to many pathways winding around its three lakes and numerous sculptures and monuments.

Surrounded in autumnal colours, the municipality is hosting civil ceremonies in the park’s southwestern corner this fall, between the SMK and the museum housing the Hirschsprung Collection.

Amager Beach

Wind turbines seen through the haze at Amager Beach. Photo: Jeppe Bjørn Vejlø/Ritzau Scanpix

Amager Beach offers nearly five kilometres of coastline just south of central Copenhagen on the island of Amager. Behind its broad sandy beaches are low dunes speckled in seagrass, and ahead, sweeping views of Sweden across Øresund Straight.

For couples wishing to get married with sand between their toes and their soulmate on their arm, Amager Beach might just mark the spot.

The schooner Halmø

Built in 1900, the 32-metre-long rustic wooden schooner Halmø is one of Denmark’s most well-maintained schooners. For couples seeking adventure, saying ‘I do’ at sea might be the perfect place to start.

Superkilen park

Photo by Sam Poullain on Unsplash

Superkilen is a public park that aims to create a diverse experience in one of Copenhagen’s most diverse neighbourhoods, Nørrebro.

The park brings together features from around the world, including fountains from Morocco, swings from Iraq, and benches from Brazil. What better place to join two lives into one?

In front of the Copenhagen Opera House

Photo: Martin Sylvest/Ritzau Scanpix

The Copenhagen Opera House, located along the harbour on the island of Holmen, is among the most modern opera houses in the world and one of Copenhagen’s most iconic buildings.

With its eye-catching architecture and a view of the Copenhagen skyline, getting married outside the Opera House might also catch the eye of couples looking for a modern take on matrimony.

The top of Maersk Tower

This 75-metre-tall tower, a state-of-the-art research building belonging to the University of Copenhagen, has won several prizes for innovative and sustainable design.

The 15th floor, offering one of the best views in the city, could be an ideal spot for couples ready to take their relationship to the next level.

Tivoli Gardens during the Winter in Tivoli event

Tivoli in late 2020, when it was forced to close due to Covid-19. Photo: Nils Meilvang/Ritzau Scanpix

Tivoli Gardens, first opened in 1843, is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world. A playground for the young and young-at-heart, Tivoli’s many rides, lush gardens, live music, and eye-catching architecture offer an exciting start to any marriage.

Ørstedsparken during Copenhagen Pride Week

Thousands of people from near and far will gather in Copenhagen in August to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and pave the way for a more equal and inclusive world.

Couples wanting to take a moment away from Copenhagen Pride Week to affirm their love for one another will have the chance to do so in a civil ceremony August 19 on the bridge in Ørstedsparken.

The Tour de France festival in Fælledparken

Fælledparken, known as ‘the peoples’ park’, is Copenhagen’s largest park, and among its most popular. It’s also home to the bicycle festival FestiVélo, a two-day cycling party celebrating the start of the Tour de France.

During the 2022 Tour de France, couples are invited to start a journey of their own in a civil ceremony in Fælledparken on July 2.

Copenhagen Light Festival

Every February, the Copenhagen Light Festival aims to transform the cold, dark Copenhagen winter into a celebration of light with a wide range of light-based artwork from Danish and international artists scattered around central Copenhagen and along the harbour.

In February, the Municipality is offering several dates to say I do to that special person who lights up your life.

Indoor & Elsewhere

The program also offers two indoor locations, the Glyptotek art museum and the balcony of the Royal Theater’s old stage. And, of course, there’s always the opportunity to hold a civil ceremony within Copenhagen City Hall.

Hyldal also invites couples to suggest new locations for the program, adding that the Municipality plans to offer additional locations and dates throughout the year. They’ve already added an additional date for the Copenhagen Lights Festival, after it sold out within the first two weeks of January.

Prices for the Vie i det fri locations range from 950 to 3000 kroner, and interested couples can only select a location and date after the approval of their marriage certificate application. Check for date options and availability at the municipality’s website.

Each couple is given a time slot on the day for their ceremony, though other couples will be there to celebrate with you as they wait for their own time slot just as one might experience in a ceremony at city hall, Hyldal said.

However, for couples who want a private experience, the wedding office offers the option to book a registrar to perform the ceremony at the date and location of your choice. If a couple wants to marry on state or municipal property outside of the Municipality’s open-air wedding program, Hyldal said the wedding office can assist with the application for appropriate permits.

“If it’s on private property, they’ll need permission from the owner,” Hyldal said. “Though, most people would surely say yes. Who can say no to such a happy occasion?”

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Getting married in Denmark is a simple and straightforward process and the country has plenty of beautiful locations – such as beaches – to choose from. Photo: Elena Belevantseva

Stephanie Heys and John O’Brien had a whirlwind international love story.

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, and Los Angeles, United States, the pair met in Croatia in 2014. Living on different continents at the time, they met up in Europe several more times and visited one another before eventually moving to Stuttgart, Germany.

“It was a non-traditional way to start a relationship, but I knew he was special to me from the moment we met,” Heys told The Local.

When the couple got engaged in the fall of 2019, they planned to have their wedding in Vancouver, but those plans were quickly derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I could only spend three months at a time in Germany until we got married,” Heys said. When the pandemic hit and she was back in Canada, it became impossible for Heys to visit the EU or for O’Brien to visit Canada.

At first, they waited for the restrictions to pass, but eventually they didn’t want to wait any longer. “It felt like our engagement had been outstanding for too long,” Heys said. “Getting married would also resolve the issues we were facing.”

But, they knew that getting married in Germany was unlikely to be a quick process.

“Even if you’re from Germany, it can take months and months to get married here,” Heys said. That’s when one of O’Brien’s colleagues suggested they look into marrying in Denmark.

Denmark: The Las Vegas of Europe?
“People are now calling Denmark the Las Vegas of Europe because it’s so easy to get married here,” Ditte Rendtorff, owner of the wedding planning company Danish Coastal Weddings, told The Local. “But, it’s a European version, with castles and quaint islands.”

Rendtorff recommends couples wanting to marry quickly look outside of more popular locations, like Copenhagen Town Hall. For example, she recommends Helsingør (pictured), 50 kilometres north, where there is no waiting time. “Plus, it’s a charming little town with a nice town hall,” she said. (Photo by Monica Hjelmslund)

One of the primary reasons for Denmark’s reputation as a destination wedding location is that it’s simple and straightforward application process, which is open to non-residents, can be mostly completed online, requires relatively little documentation, and applications are processed quickly.

This is in stark contrast to what couples may experience elsewhere, said Rasmus Clarck from the wedding agency Getting Married in Denmark.

“When multinational, multiracial, multi-religious or same sex couples decide to get married, they may discover that it’s difficult to do so in their home countries or current countries of residence,” he told The Local. That is often when they discover Denmark, he added.

Why is Denmark becoming such a popular place to marry?
“It isn’t as though the Danish government saw a market for easier weddings in Europe and decided to take advantage of it,” Yuki Badino, a wedding planner at Danish Island Weddings, told The Local. “The marriage laws have always been simple in Denmark.”

When Badino’s sister, Louise Badino Moloney, started the agency 13 years ago, Denmark was a less common destination for weddings. “Even Danes don’t realise Denmark has become a wedding destination,” Badino told The Local. “It’s a niche, but it’s growing.”

She said this can be attributed both to word of mouth, as was the case for Heys and O’Brien, but also news coverage, blogs, and other online resources directing couples to Denmark.

That was one factor in the decision of Katharina and Malte to marry in Denmark. Living in Hamburg, Germany, the couple had read about Denmark as a destination wedding location in a German magazine.

Katharina and Malte got lucky with the weather on their wedding day. “We chose the only weekend in autumn that was 23 degrees and sunny,” Malte said. (Photo courtesy of Danish Island Weddings)

Malte, who goes fishing on Ærø each year, already had the Danish island in mind for a wedding when he proposed in August 2021. “I thought it was a small, hidden, lovely place for a wedding,” he told The Local.

Lastly, marrying in Denmark meant they’d be able to wed before their son’s due date in January 2022. “We wanted the wedding to be sooner rather than later, so I wouldn’t be too pregnant and we’d still have nice weather,” Katharina told The Local.

The couple wasn’t sure if they could make a wedding happen in such a short time period in Germany. The paperwork is more onerous, and nice locations tend to book out a year in advance, Katharina said. Covid-19 wedding postponements only made that more unlikely.

By choosing Denmark, the couple was able to marry three weeks after their engagement.

What does the process look like?
The first step is to apply for a marriage licence with the Danish Agency of Family Law (AFL). Lena Hansen, a wedding planner at Nordic Adventure Weddings, said the required documentation is minimal: passports, divorce decrees if divorced, relevant residency or visa information, and the proof of the relationship.

Hansen with Nordic Adventure Weddings said she’s planned weddings on cliffs, in forests, on the beach, and in castles. “Couples can of course get married in town hall, but many people want something more romantic,” she said. (Photo by Justine Høgh)

Previously, couples would apply directly with the local municipality where they planned to wed. However, the law was changed in 2019, Rendtorff said, to prevent Denmark from becoming a target location for pro forma marriages.

The approval process can take anywhere from a few days to two months, at most, Badino said.

Then, the couple can book their date with the town hall or venue of their choice, Clarck said. The day before their wedding – or even 10 minutes prior, depending on the town hall – the couple will present their documents for final review.

It’s also a simple process to get the marriage recognised in a couple’s home country, Hansen said, since Danish marriage certificates are recognised by all EU countries. “For countries outside the EU, the document must be legalised, which is a quick process by getting an apostille through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” she told The Local.

By default, Badino added, Danish marriage certificates are already translated into five languages: Danish, English, German, French and Spanish. “So, it’s already an international document,” she said.

Katharina and Malte were able to finish the application online from their sofa in one or two evenings. Three weeks later, they were getting married on Ærø with around a dozen of their closest friends and family.

When they returned to Germany, all they had to do was send a copy of their wedding licence to the proper authorities via email. “It wasn’t hard for us, since the German and Danish governments cooperate nicely,” Katharina said. “And it was much faster than it would have been in Germany,” Malte added.

Clarck said the vast majority of Getting Married in Denmark’s couples live in Germany, the UK, Ireland, France, and the rest of the EU. Pictured, Emma (Irish) and Daniel (American) got married in Denmark while living in Spain, before moving to Ireland after the wedding. (Photo by Elena Belevantseva Photography)

What if a couple wants something more than a town hall wedding?

Although Rentdorff agrees that the speed and ease of the marriage process in Denmark is a major factor, she said Denmark is also a destination in its own right.

“We’re seen as this romantic little kingdom,” she said. She said the ease of having a beach wedding is also appealing. “We have 8,750 kilometres of coastline, so it’s easy to get married by the beach.”

“You can get a quick marriage in Las Vegas or Gibraltar,” Badino said, “but Denmark has a unique appeal. I think people want to marry in a beautiful place.”

Getting married in a beautiful place, she added, is also streamlined in Denmark. “There’s a lot of freedom to marry wherever you want in Denmark,” Badino said, “from an aeroplane to a lighthouse. In Germany, you need special permission just to marry on a beach.”

Danish Island Weddings offers locations on beaches, lighthouses, gardens, cliffs and in a private wedding room at an old merchant’s house. “We try to make the wedding for the couples extra special in whatever location they prefer, and to make it more personal than a town hall wedding,” Badino said.

The company organised Katharina and Malte’s wedding at the auction house in only three weeks, including cake, champagne, flowers, decorations, music, a lunch reception and a photographer. “It ended up just like I would have done it, if I had planned the whole thing myself a year in advance,” Katharina said, “but without the stress.”

Now, one of the couple’s friends’ brother is planning a wedding on Ærø with his British fiance before the couple moves to Shanghai this summer.

Denmark’s reputation continues to spread, one couple at a time.

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