German couples flock to Denmark’s west coast for civil weddings

Civil weddings in the Danish municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern have surged 65 percent in five years, driven largely by foreign couples—especially from Germany—who travel to the west coast to exchange vows.

Ringkøbing-Skjern Kommune reported 287 civil ceremonies in 2020 and 474 in 2025, with international weddings rising from 51 to 242 in the same period. The increase has created a busy schedule for municipal registrar Vivian Holm Høgsberg, who described the trend as “fantastic.”

German couple Ricarda-Simone Wember and Jürgen Anton Schäfer chose Ringkøbing for their June 25, 2026 wedding, citing Denmark’s simpler paperwork and the chance to combine the ceremony with a holiday. “I had never been to Denmark before, so it made sense to turn the wedding into a vacation,” said Schäfer. “We rented a house together, and there’s a lot of harmony here.”

The couple kept the marriage secret from most family and friends, planning to announce it later via a humorous greeting card. “We’ll send a nice card saying, ‘Ha! We’re already married!’ so no one can be upset,” Wember said.

Municipal officials attribute the appeal to streamlined administrative procedures compared with Germany, where civil registration can be more cumbersome. Tina Vium, head of citizen services, noted that German couples “literally line up” for slots in the town hall chamber.