Couples come to Corfu from all over the world to get married
CORFU. According to the data of the Central Corfu Municipality΄s relevant services, in 2022 there were 76 marriages of foreign couples, while this year there have already been 29.
Dozens of couples from Europe and America have been choosing Corfu in recent years to get married, making the island a popular wedding tourist.
British, Germans, Swedish, Russians, Scottish, Polish, Italians and Americans travel thousands of miles to have their wedding in Corfu (either a church wedding or a civil ceremony), exchanging vows of eternal loyalty and love with the island's beauty in the background.
Increase
The amount of such marriages has been increasing in the past five years, as professionals of the sector told Enimerosi. “Since 2018, Corfu has become a popular destination for weddings. This is due to the upgrading of the services we provide, namely the quality of what we offer and our equipment. In addition, Corfu is selected as a destination because it has an Italian profile. Italy is a top destination for weddings and this advantage Corfu has, makes it popular. The many international direct flights of our airport are also helping," Aris Papachristou, event organiser, told Enimerosi.
As he said, the interaction and promotion that happens now on social media, and especially instagram's influence with photos of the destination showing happy couples marrying in idyllic locations, has contributed a lot to Corfu being chosen. Of the 30-35 weddings that Mr. Papachristou has to organise this year, 90% are for foreigners, mostly English and American.
The data
According to official data by the Central Corfu Municipality, in 2022 there were 50 civil marriages of foreign couples, while this year there have already been 20, and the year has not ended yet. For the civil ceremony a deposit of €100 has to be paid, while the couple must send copies of the required documents to the Municipal Service and a few days before the ceremony the original ones are filed.
Civil weddings are held every Thursday and the last Saturday of every month in municipal areas, such as the People's Garden, San Giacomo, Maraslio and Mon Repos beach. The ceremony is either performed by the Mayor Meropi Ydraiou or the six Deputy Mayors (H. Yiotis, P. Tzanne, N. Kalogeros, G. Pantelios, Chr. Tombrou, M. Katehis).
"Another civil marriage of a foreign couple was recently held in Maraslio. There is demand for marriages in Corfu in the summer. Foreigners choose our beautiful island and our town for their wedding. They like Corfu and they combine it with holidays. Some have relatives with them, others do not," Deputy Mayor Haris Yiotis told Enimerosi.
But besides civil marriages, there are also several foreign couples who choose a church wedding. According to Central Corfu Municipality's data, 26 foreign couples got married in a church in 2022 and 9 this year.
MARIA BAZDRIYIANNI
