Marriage Equality Is Rewriting the Destination Wedding Map

With marriage equality continuing to expand around the world, LGBTQ+ couples now have more options than ever when planning a destination wedding.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in 31 out of 195 countries, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Austria, Taiwan (the only Asian country so far), and Ecuador legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, followed by Costa Rica in 2020. In December 2021, Chile and Switzerland joined the love train. Here's the current list of places with marriage equality.

Next up may be Tokyo. With conservative Japan being the only G7 country (the G7 represents the seven wealthiest liberal democracies) yet to legalize same-sex marriage, pressure has been mounting to do so. Though the jury’s still out on whether Japan will gain marriage equality nationwide, the capital city’s governor, Yuriko Koike, stated in December that “in response to the wishes of Tokyo residents and those concerned by this issue, we will draft a basic principle to recognize same-sex partnerships [in 2022].”

In the meantime, same-sex couples in Switzerland are excitedly preparing for summer nuptials, as the new marriage equality law goes into effect July 1, 2022 — with many ceremonies expected to happen that day.

This piece, initially titled Ready to Elope, originally ran in Out Traveler print magazine. The Winter 2022 issue is now available on newsstands.