With same-sex marriage now being legal in 29 countries around the world and COVID-19 travel restrictions easing, everyone now has the opportunity to plan that luxury destination wedding you and your partner have been dreaming of, to commit to spending the rest of your lives together.
But with so many amazing and romantic cities and destinations around the world to choose from, where are the best locations to get married?
New research revealing the world’s top 10 LQBTQ+ wedding destinations for 2022 was released today.
So, where are the best locations for LQBTQ+ couples to get hitched?
The world’s top 10 LGBTQ+ wedding destinations in 2022:
Rank | City | LGBTQ+ Danger Index Score | LGBTQ+ Openness in the City | Number of Years Same-Sex Marriage Has Been Legal | LGBTQ+ score /10 |
1 | London, UK | 299 | 4.94 | 7 | 7.01 |
2 | Paris, France | 287 | 4.45 | 8 | 6.74 |
3 | Madrid, Spain | 279 | 4.87 | 16 | 6.04 |
4 | Barcelona, Spain | 279 | 4.75 | 16 | 5.93 |
5 | Toronto, Canada | 309 | 4.78 | 16 | 5.51 |
6 | Lisbon, Portugal | 306 | 3.78 | 11 | 5.46 |
7 | Valencia, Spain | 279 | 3.94 | 16 | 5.39 |
8 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 265 | 4.72 | 20 | 5.35 |
9 | Stockholm, Sweden | 322 | 4.18 | 12 | 5.22 |
10 | New York City, USA | 187 | 4.91 | 6 | 5.21 |
According to the research:
- London is the world’s best LGBTQ+ wedding destination, followed by Paris, which is the world’s 2nd best LGBTQ+ wedding destination.
- New York City is the world’s 10th best LGBTQ+ wedding destination in 2022. With same sex marriage having been made legal 6 years ago, average summer temperatures of 23.7˚C, a high Instagrammability score owing to over 32,000,000 posts and over 1,300 romantic hotels and restaurants for couples to choose from, it is not surprising that New York City has been named among the world’s top 10 best LGBTQ+ wedding destinations.
- A total of three Spanish cities have featured in the top 10. While Madrid is the world’s 3rd best LGBTQ+ wedding destination; Barcelona, with an LGBTQ+ score of 5.93, has been named the world’s 4th best LGBTQ+ wedding destination and Valencia, having an LGBTQ+ score of 5.39, is the world’s 7th best LGBTQ+ wedding destination.
- The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same sex marriage nearly 21 years ago in 2001. Two Dutch cities have featured in the top 30 LGBTQ+ wedding destinations, including Amsterdam, in 8th place and Rotterdam, in 29th place.
- São Paulo, Brazil and Leipzig, Germany, in 24th and 59th place in the overall ranking, respectively, offer the cheapest accommodation at an average of $74.58 (£56.50) per night. However, Ibiza Town, Spain, in 39th place in the overall ranking has the most expensive rooms going for $294.50 (£224) a night, on average.