Kristien Van Vaerenbergh: “Let couples marry where their hearts are”

Couples who wish to marry in a place that truly means something to them should soon have the opportunity to do so. MP Kristien Van Vaerenbergh has submitted a bill to allow weddings to take place outside one’s official municipality of residence.

“A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event. You should be able to celebrate it in a location that really matters to you,” she said.

Emotional connection comes first

Currently, civil marriages in Belgium can only be conducted in the municipality where at least one of the partners officially resides. Van Vaerenbergh wants to change that. Her proposal would allow couples to marry not only in their current municipality, but also in the town where they previously lived, or where their (grand)parents or (grand)children reside.

“Many people feel a deep emotional bond with the town they grew up in, where their family lives, or where they met their partner,” Van Vaerenbergh explained. “We want to give these couples the freedom to marry where their hearts truly lie.”

That freedom of choice would still be clearly defined, she added. “This way, we avoid turning certain towns into wedding hotspots.”

No free pass

The bill does not relax controls on sham marriages: the investigation into the legitimacy of the union will still be carried out by the registrar in the municipality where the declaration of marriage is made. That official is in the best position to assess the file. Only then can the marriage be performed in the chosen municipality.

“This won't lead to ‘shopping around’ in towns where getting married is supposedly easier—on the contrary,” Van Vaerenbergh stressed. “Under this system, a couple must go through two separate local administrations: once for the declaration and once for the ceremony itself.”