Danish Island Weddings – fairytales for 150 nationalities

What does a Finnish woman living with an Australian man in Dubai do if she wants to get hitched? She contacts a wedding agency on the Danish island of Aeroe. In fact today she could contact four of them. Louise Moloney runs the oldest one, Danish Island Weddings, founded in 2008 when there were 200 weddings on the island per year. Today, with around 3000 weddings on Aeroe per year, she employs her husband, two sisters and a part-time beautician and stylist.

Louise Moloney with her company mascot. Nice choice of colour!

Louise is an Aeroe girl born and bred. After working as an air hostess for Japan Airlines she returned home to the island for the Aeroe life – no crime, stress or traffic jams – the kind that is hard to even imagine. Unless you live in Denmark, the happiest country in the world.

– I always thought this place was perfect for weddings. And after 1300 of them we certainly know how to take the stress away from couples so that they can enjoy and learn to “let go”. It’s back to basics here on Aeroe really, back to what’s really important in life, Louise knows. It doesn’t take long to understand why everyone on the island loves her so much.

Louise with her sister Yuki in the “nerve centre” of Danish Island Weddings.

The good thing about getting married on Aeroe is that you can get married whenever and wherever you want – no-one is going to get an allergic reaction if you pack your own ideas with you. There are the gardens that make you feel like you’re in Tuscany, the beach with the colourful wooden beach huts, the lighthouse, even a plane that can take you up in the clear blue skies for your vows. Unless you own your own private jet, of course (which some of Louise’s more extravagant customers do).

On Aeroe the new social reality really comes to the fore: non EU brides and grooms marrying each other, rich Russian and German men marrying much younger women, rock stars wanting to get married in secret, a poor Albanian couple sleeping in their car just to get the official part over and done with. Louise and her colleagues on the island have seen it all. On the wall in Louise’s office is a world map with pins on it to mark the 150 nationalities Danish Island Weddings have joined in matrimony, so far. Where you are from really has little significance on this island.

The world map in Louise’s office.

Danish Island Weddings is also very popular with same-sex couples. Rebellious Bride had the joy of witnessing the wedding of Rona and Michelle whose story I will share with you here as soon as the happy couple are back from their honeymoon. Usually couples arrive on the island the day before the wedding and leave the day after – and come back for a holiday after falling in love with it.

The island of Aeroe offers many a romantic setting for making things official.

“With goodness you always get goodness back”
– Louise Moloney –

With so many weddings each year, how do Louise and her family team manage to make all the couples feel special and not like they’re on a marriage production line?

– It can never be routine when it is someone’s wedding. We always look forward to meeting all of our couples and so are the residents on the island. They actually know many of my couples by name and always make sure they feel welcome, which is lovely. Everyone here sees the weddings as an opportunity to make something good – and with goodness you always get goodness back.

Louise’s husband John is also a big part of the success story that is Danish Island Weddings.

Despite being a wonder woman who can magic up a wedding in the matter of hours, Louise does not seem frazzled or stressed and neither do the rest of her family. They seem the perfect team for the job.

– I see last minute requests as a challenge and the end result always inspires me. Our record is 36 hours from first contact to exchanging rings. If there is ever a tricky situation with a wedding dress, I call my mother, says Louise.

Fancy getting married on Aeroe? Watch a video tour of Louise’s wedding rooms at the Old Merchant’s Court in Aeroeskobing and see for yourself what you can expect!

Check out Louise’s website www.getmarriedindenmark.com as well as visitaeroe.dk for weddings and accommodation on Aeroe. Stay tuned for more in Rebellious Bride’s series of reports from the wedding island, including recommendations on where to stay when you visit.