In short: A symbolic wedding is a ceremony with vows, rings and guests that has no legal effect. A legal ceremony creates the marriage under the law of the country where it happens, and you leave with a marriage certificate. In Europe many couples sign the legal papers at home and hold a symbolic ceremony abroad. Others marry legally abroad, which is possible for visitors in Denmark, Portugal, Croatia and Austria, but not in France or Spain unless one of you lives there.
What is a symbolic wedding
A symbolic wedding is a real ceremony with no legal force. You exchange vows and rings, and a celebrant, a friend or a relative leads it. Nothing is registered with the state. No documents are needed, there is no waiting period and no office hours. It can happen on a cliff at sunrise or in a garden at 19:00.
Because it has no legal effect, it does not make you married in law. If you want to be married in law, that happens separately: either before the symbolic day, at home, or in the country itself if its rules allow it. The UK government’s advice for anyone marrying abroad does not mention symbolic ceremonies at all. It says to check the laws of the country and to ask the person conducting the ceremony and the authority that registers marriages. That is the test: ask whether the ceremony will be registered.
Ronna & Liad · Copenhagen · see the full wedding →Symbolic or legal: the differences in one table
| Question | Legal ceremony | Symbolic ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| Legal effect | Yes, you are married | None |
| Who leads it | A registrar, mayor or authorised celebrant | Anyone: celebrant, friend, relative |
| Paperwork | Certificates, ID, often stamps and translations | None |
| Waiting time | Set by the country, from days to weeks | None |
| Place and hour | Town hall hours, or approved places | Anywhere you have permission, any hour |
| Certificate | Yes, from the country | A keepsake only |
The table gives the general shape. Each country sets its own rules, so confirm yours with the local registry. Our guide to where foreigners can legally marry in Europe lists the official sources for 12 countries, so we do not repeat each country’s rules here.
a symbolic ceremony and a legal marriage are two different events. Plan both, even if they happen on the same day, and never assume that a ceremony with a celebrant is registered.
Symbolic wedding in Europe: how it works
A European symbolic wedding follows the pattern above. The legal marriage is arranged at home, where the forms are in your language and there are no translations. The ceremony abroad is held at the venue, in the open air if you like, with the guests you invite.
The French wedding guide French Wedding Style, a business describing its own market, estimates that 80 to 90% of its international couples marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony in France. Treat that as an estimate from one planner, not a statistic. The reason is on an official page. France’s Service-Public says the wedding must be held in a commune where at least one of you has a home or lasting residence, and that two foreigners who do not live in France cannot marry in an ordinary town hall. They may use the consulate of their own country instead. Spain’s government guide opens the marriage file where either of you is domiciled. Our wedding photographer in France page shows weddings we have photographed in Provence and near Bordeaux.
A symbolic ceremony also changes the schedule. A town hall gives you a slot. A symbolic ceremony lets you choose the hour, so you can hold it late in the day when the light is soft. Our wedding day timeline for the best light shows how.
Easiest country to get married in Europe
“Easiest” depends on your passports and on how much paper you are willing to collect. Judged by the official pages we opened, the lightest rules for visitors are in Denmark, Portugal, Croatia and Austria. The table sums them up as of November 2026.
| Country | Visitors can marry? | Fee or time on the official page |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Yes, with a certificate of marital status | DKK 2,100 for EU/EEA couples, valid four months |
| Portugal | Yes, start at a registry | €120, at least 1 month ahead |
| Croatia | Yes, civil ceremony | €27.87, 30 to 45 days after the declaration |
| Austria | Yes, at any registry office | No waiting period on the page; ask the office |
| France | Not in a town hall without a home there | 10 days of banns once the home or residence rule is met |
| Spain | File opens where one of you is domiciled | Ask the registry |
The sources: the Danish Agency of Family Law states DKK 2,100 and a certificate valid for four months on its page for couples who are both EU/EEA citizens, and says the fee is adjusted every year. If either of you is from outside the EU/EEA, its separate route asks you to show legal stay in the Schengen Area under rules in force since 10 April 2026; confirm the fee with the Agency. Portugal’s Ministry of Justice says the process costs €120, should start at least a month ahead and leaves six months to marry. The Croatian portal gov.hr gives €27.87, a ceremony 30 to 45 days after the declaration, and any location in the country, with an extra fee outside official premises. Austria’s government portal says people without Austrian citizenship or residence can marry at any registry office, and that your home country may have stricter requirements for recognising the marriage.
Denmark has the lightest paperwork of the countries in our legal guide: one application to one agency, and one fee. See getting married in Denmark as a foreigner. Italy, Greece, Norway, Iceland, Scotland and Montenegro also marry visitors, with more documents. UK couples can start with the gov.uk page linked above, and everyone else with their own government’s page.
Where can you get married in Europe, and where can foreigners get married?
In every country in the table above except France and Spain, visitors can marry in a civil ceremony. In France and Spain, plan a symbolic ceremony and marry on paper at home. For each other country, our legal guide has the documents and sources. The registry of the place has the final word. As for the best place to get married in Europe, there is no single answer: choose the country whose rules fit your passports, then the region whose season fits your date.
Manuela & Konstantin · Zakynthos · see the full wedding →Where is it cheapest or quickest to get married
On official fees alone, the cheapest paper route is Croatia at €27.87, then Portugal at €120. Denmark’s DKK 2,100 (for EU/EEA couples) is roughly €280 at the fixed krone rate of about 7.46 to the euro, our own conversion and an estimate. These are only the state fees. The real cost of a legal wedding abroad also includes certified documents, translations and, in some countries, extra fees for a ceremony at a weekend or outside the town hall. A symbolic ceremony has no state fee, but it does need a celebrant. French Wedding Style puts celebrants at €600 to €1,500 for an elopement in France.
For speed, start with the lists above. Denmark’s processing time for the certificate varies, so check the Agency’s current estimate when you apply, and book the city hall slot early. Croatia needs at least 30 days between the declaration and the ceremony. Portugal asks for one month. France needs a home in the commune, or a month of residence there, and then ten days of banns. The fastest route of all is a symbolic ceremony, with the legal marriage at home on whatever timetable your local office has.
Is a marriage abroad valid back home?
Usually, if it was valid where it took place. travel.gc.ca says marriages legally performed in a foreign country are usually valid in Canada, with no need to register them there. Inside the EU, Your Europe says a marriage concluded in one EU country will in principle be recognised in the others, with limits for same-sex marriages on national-law rights. Austria’s portal warns that your home country may impose stricter requirements and suggests checking with its diplomatic representation. If you are from the US, the UK, Australia or Ireland, ask your own government’s page before you book. Keep several certified copies of the certificate, and ask whether your home authority wants an apostille on it.
A symbolic ceremony needs none of this, because it creates no legal status. That is its main advantage. The cost is that you must still arrange the legal marriage somewhere.
Marriage and citizenship
People ask for the easiest country to get citizenship by marriage. We found no official page that makes citizenship a result of a wedding in a European town hall, and we give no immigration advice. Citizenship and residence are decided by each country’s immigration authority and by your nationality. Ask the immigration service of the country you have in mind before you plan a wedding around it.
Ronna & Liad · Copenhagen · see the full wedding →Three ways to combine legal and symbolic
- Legal at home, symbolic abroad. The paperwork is in your own language. The day abroad is free of office hours. It suits France, Spain and any country with heavy paperwork.
- Legal abroad, symbolic celebration afterwards. A short civil ceremony at the town hall, then a longer celebration elsewhere in the country. Copenhagen works well this way.
- Legal and celebration in one day. Possible where the law allows it. National Records of Scotland says a Scottish ceremony may take place at any indoor or outdoor location, and Croatia’s portal allows any location for an extra fee. Ask the registry what it offers.
Mistakes to avoid
- Booking a celebrant before you know whether the ceremony will be registered.
- Ordering certificates too early. Denmark’s certificate, for example, is valid for four months, so check the date on each document.
- Telling guests the symbolic day is “the wedding” without saying when the legal part happens. Be clear with guests and with the registry about which day is which.
- Leaving the legal papers until the final month. Our planning timeline asks the registry for its document list 8 to 10 months out and orders certificates, apostilles and translations 3 to 4 months out.
For two people, a symbolic ceremony or a short civil one is often enough. See the best places to elope in Europe and, for a group of 10 to 30, our guide to a micro wedding in Europe.
FAQ: symbolic and legal weddings
Is a symbolic wedding legally binding?
No. It has no legal effect. You are married in law only after a legal ceremony, which is registered by the authority of a country.
Do we need documents for a symbolic ceremony?
No. Venues and celebrants may ask for ID and a date, but the state asks for nothing.
Can we have a legal ceremony and a symbolic one?
Yes, and many couples do. Hold them on different days, or on the same day with the legal part first and short.
Which European country is easiest to marry in as a foreigner?
Judged by the official pages above, Denmark, Portugal, Croatia and Austria. Check that your documents are accepted before you pay.
Is a marriage abroad valid in our own country?
Usually, if it was valid where it took place. Confirm with your own government before you book.
Is a symbolic wedding cheaper?
It has no state fee. You still pay for a celebrant, the venue and the paperwork at home.
Do you photograph both?
Yes. We document the ceremony, legal or symbolic, as it happens.
Planning yours?
We are a team of six photographers and filmmakers with one documentary style. Legal or symbolic, we record the day as it happens. Photography and film packages from €1,390, with no extra travel fees anywhere we work. Book any package and change it later; a 20% deposit holds the date.
Check your date on the contact page and see prices on the prices page.