Weddings in Bornholm for foreign couples have become so numerous that the Danish island has temporarily stopped accepting additional bookings for the summer. More than half of the civil ceremonies held on Bornholm this year have involved couples from outside Denmark, placing growing pressure on the municipality’s citizen services department (Borgerservice).
The number of international couples choosing the island has almost doubled compared with two or three years ago, according to Bo Rosendal, head of citizen services at Bornholm Regional Municipality (Bornholms Regionskommune).
The municipality has therefore closed its calendar to additional summer ceremonies. The measure means that couples can no longer arrange a wedding on the island at short notice during the current high season.
Foreign weddings are straining Bornholm’s administration
The municipality says the main problem is not the ceremonies themselves but the staff required to organise them.
International couples frequently travel to Bornholm without witnesses. Municipal employees must then perform that role in addition to conducting the ceremony. In some cases, a single wedding can require the presence of three members of staff.
Bornholm says it does not have enough administrative resources to continue providing the service at its current scale.
Rosendal acknowledged that couples may stay overnight, eat at local restaurants or purchase other services while visiting the island. However, he questioned whether the ceremonies generate enough long-term revenue for the municipality to cover the additional workload.
Most of those travelling to Bornholm do not live or pay local taxes on the island.
Copenhagen restrictions redirected demand to the island
Bornholm officials believe the increase is partly a spillover effect from Copenhagen, which had previously developed a large international wedding sector.
Copenhagen Municipality was ordered to repay fees collected unlawfully from around 12,000 predominantly international couples between 2018 and 2025. The potential repayments were estimated at up to DKK 23 million (€3.1 million).
After the case, Copenhagen temporarily reduced its wedding operations and placed greater emphasis on ensuring availability for local residents. In late 2025, the city began reserving part of its City Hall wedding capacity for couples living in Copenhagen.
Demand appears to have moved towards other Danish municipalities, including Bornholm.
Denmark is a popular destination for international weddings because its administrative requirements are often less complex than those in other European countries. Couples living abroad generally apply for a certificate of marital status (prøvelsesattest) from the Danish Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset) before arranging a ceremony with a municipality.
Tourism businesses see an economic opportunity
Tourism and wedding businesses on Bornholm have criticised the decision to stop accepting further summer bookings.
Torsten Engsig, a business developer at Destination Bornholm, said international newlyweds could contribute to the local economy even when their first visit is brief. Some may later return to the island for holidays, he argued.
The growing demand has already supported specialised businesses. Wedding agencies help international couples manage documents, book ceremonies and arrange accommodation or other services on the island.
Siine Katherine Bergmann, who founded the Bornholm-based agency Wedding on the Rocks in 2017, said she understood the pressure facing the municipality but regretted that bookings had been suspended during the most important period of the tourism season.
Bornholm must decide how large the service should become
The dispute reflects a broader question for Bornholm: whether international weddings should remain a limited municipal service or develop into a larger part of the island’s tourism economy.
Expanding the sector would require additional staff or a different funding model. Maintaining the current resources, however, may force the municipality to restrict the number of ceremonies or give priority to residents.
For now, the suspension applies to additional bookings during the summer. The sharp rise in demand suggests that Bornholm will still need to decide how many international weddings its administration can sustainably manage in the coming years.
