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Destination I Do: Gibraltar’s Wedding Market

Love is big business. A quick search on the sector shows that global wedding revenue reached £45.52 billion in 2022. In the UK alone, an average of 275,000 weddings are celebrated a year with an average spend of £18,400.

According to official statistics, 1,745 weddings took place in Gibraltar in 2021 followed by another 1,761 weddings in 2022 and a further 1640 in 2023. That’s around 33 weddings each week or 6 every single day. With an estimated population of around 33,000, it’s safe to say that, no, we aren’t all marrying each other, but that Gibraltar is a very popular place for many people to come and say ‘I do’. In fact, in all three years, non-residents outnumbered residents by an average of 90% to 10%.

The stats point to a healthy wedding sector, one that our Minister for Tourism, Christian Santos is keen to develop. In an interview with the Gibraltar Chronicle he recently said he wanted; “Gibraltar to be the Las Vegas of Europe” when it comes to weddings. Unlike Vegas, we don’t have Elvis. But we do have John. Music legend John Lennon famously married Yoko Ono here in 1969 and put the Rock on the map for ‘Fast Track’ weddings. If music’s not your thing, acting legend Sean Connery (AKA James Bond) also tied the knot here (twice)!

A Fast Track to Love
Not saying that John and Sean weren’t attracted to the Rock for its weather, but one of the biggest reasons Gibraltar’s popular for weddings is thanks to its Fast Track service. A Marriage Licence application can be made up to an incredible 1 day prior to the wedding. This entails presenting the necessary documentation and signing affidavits stating couples are free to marry in front of a Commissioner for Oaths or a Notary Public. The only other rule is that the couple must stay one night in a Gibraltar hotel before the wedding.
Two couples I met recently were all about this attractive Fast Track wedding offer. There was a Scotsman in a very dashing kilt and his Brazilian wife and an American man and his Romanian wife. The US/Romanian couple had actually flown in the night before with her parents, had the wedding the next day and were going back to the UK on the same day! Cost for this flying visit? £1000 all in.

Even if there were only one of these weddings a day in Gibraltar that’s a nice £365,000 for the economy which wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Gibraltar’s fast track rules.
While the ‘Fast Track’ wedding is massively attractive there’s more to Gibraltar than these flying visit ‘I do’ pairings. In fact, for those who want to enjoy the stunning beauty of what the rock has to offer and local couples who want a family event to remember, there are many businesses waiting to serve us. It is worth noting of course, that it’s still highly advisable to book a package and accommodation well in advance, if coming to Gibraltar as the dates are booked out quickly.

The Full Monty
The year-round sunny climate and astounding views across the Mediterranean and Africa, with regular flights, and for Brits, no language barriers as well as UK high street shops and UK currency make it all that bit more appealing. The icing on the cake, as it were, if the main reason is a ‘fast track’ marriage. But while most couples could be in and out in as little as two days, Gibraltar has so much more to offer, that the wedding market here is huge – and growing.
With legal fees, the venue, the reception, entertainment, accommodation, photographers/videographers, potential travel if you’re not local, and any other costs such as florists, clothing, hair, make up etc many companies offer the full package to take pressure off the happy couple. Jeanette Obytz from MedWeddings added: “I’ve been offering Gibraltar as a wedding destination since 2001. My clients are local and from all over the world. Initially I catered for all types of weddings, where now, I have a more personalised approach and a lot more clients from Gibraltar.”
“I was also once the only wedding planner, now there are 6 or 7 active wedding planning companies and there seems to be work for us all. Also, many more indoor venues opened up for ceremonies.” But Jeanette highlights the need to book early: “When I started, I could always get a wedding appointment the same week, now the summer months are booked well in advance with the Registry office for city hall weddings.”

A Nice Package 
So how much could this cost? Well, there are a number of Wedding Package offers on the Rock, with packages ranging from basic to luxurious.
Some of the bespoke package companies have basic options ranging £485 right up to £2200 for the more lavish experiences.
But even those offers can be tailored. For example, in a certain company some basics can range from £485 – £805. The cheaper option would not include photography, flowers, witnesses, or complimentary wedding gift etc hence the higher figure to customise it.
The very same rules would apply to the other end of the scale with some fancier packages going from £1235 – £1350 depending on the tailoring and up to over £2200 with accommodation.
But of course, these costs will rise depending on reception food and drink for guests with an average of £50 per person, so even 10 guests is another £500 on top.
Different package companies will, of course, have exclusive deals with hotels, florists, photographers, and entertainment providers but the venues will be the same price for all.

The Minister’s Vision
So, with all that at the altar, what does Minister Santos and the Government plan to do going forward? “The Registry Office has recently been moved to the historic City Hall in the centre of town. The ceremonies take place in the Mario Finlayson National Gallery, in the room dedicated to the works of Gustavo Bacarisas, considered one of Gibraltar’s heritage artists,“ said the Minister. “This artistic environment provides the couples a more heightened aesthetic experience to celebrate their special day. There is also the option for people to book the Mayor’s Parlour at City Hall as an upgrade to their package which offers a grand backdrop for their ceremony,” he added.
“I am already looking to identify other venues which would be tailor made for weddings as well as already working on the Mount as an alternative venue. The current and any future options are available for locals and obviously for visitors from further afield choosing Gibraltar as the location to celebrate their ceremonies,” he went on.

“Already vastly popular with couples from abroad, my vision is to further Gibraltar as the go-to location for weddings and other celebrations,” added Minister Santos.
And another way to increase the number of weddings on the Rock? Well, the Minister also had big plans in this area too. “The relaunch of Gibraltar to the U.K. wedding market will tie in with a new promotional campaign starting mid spring. The wedding sector will be promoted via targeted advertorial and visual content in specialist media outlets, targeted PR to wedding journalists for visits and the influencer market to hit social media channels,” he explained regarding advertising and promotions.
“We are working on a focused sales approach, building relationships with ATOL licensed travel agents and specialist tour operators with wedding divisions, to visit Gibraltar and assess our product for their clients.
“Our long-term vision is to build a wider awareness of the incredible opportunities to marrying in Gibraltar. It is also important that we continually evolve the product and services on offer to deliver on customer expectation and feedback which will drive viral marketing.”

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