2023-08-19 14:29:00
The sky is gray on this Saturday in August but without rain, and the pretty garden next to the old Saint-Agathe church in Berchem is full of color. They are a hundred to have put on their 31, dazzling dresses and impeccable suits, to celebrate the wedding Minhthy and Olivier.
With a “historic” flavor for the town: this is the first outdoor civil wedding. “We think it’s great. None of our friends have ever done a wedding outside… but we had to wait until the last minute to be sure of the weather”, smiles the bride. “To do once more, I do it once more straight away.”
A formula that the mayor Christian Lamouline (Les Engagés) hopes to see more of in the ceremonies. “People go to get married in Bali, in Thailand, on beaches at sunset… But we can also do it here in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe under the trees, in a green park. This possibility is an asset”
Already a “success” in Uccle and Saint-Josse
In the Brussels Region, Berchem is not the only municipality to offer this formula. In five other entities, it is possible to have a civil marriage outside.
In which municipality can we get married in the open air? ©IPM Graphics
It is certainly Uccle which has played a pioneering role in this area. “I created this in 2016,” recalls mayor Boris Dilliès (MR). And the formula in the charming park of Wolvendael has been a “great success” with around thirty outdoor celebrations a year. “It leaves extraordinary memories.” Outdoor ceremonies usually take place following indoor weddings, with a specific day dedicated to the outdoors as well. “If it rains, plan B remains the town hall. But we have already had a wedding with an umbrella.”
Boris Dilliès during an outdoor wedding… finally rainy. ©DR
In Saint-Josse too, weddings can be celebrated on request outside, in the garden of the town hall. “A success because it’s a rural setting in the city and with a beautiful atmosphere,” observes Emir Kir, who also has around thirty a year.
A wedding in the courtyard of Saint-Josse. ©DRUccle: Outdoor weddings are popular
At the Bois de la Cambre or Royal Park
The possibility exists in other entities… but with less success. In Brussels-City, it is possible to get married in the Bois de la Cambre, the Parc Royal and the Parc d’Osseghem… but the people of Brussels obviously prefer the splendor of the Grand-Place to the parks. Only two marriages have indeed been celebrated since 2018 in the open air, in the Osseghem park.
Brussels-City: Weddings in the Bois de La Cambre
In Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, it only happened once, says the mayor Benoît Cerexhe (Les Engagés). “It was at Parc de la Woluwe. It’s the only request I’ve had in ten years. It’s less obvious but everything is always possible.” In Ixelles, the regulations allow it… but no request yet.
Price level varies. In Ixelles, there is an “additional cost” for the logistical reasons of staff and furniture. 158€ are requested in addition to Berchem. In Saint-Josse, no price variation. Ditto in Uccle, thanks to a minimalist formula. “We only provide tables and chairs for the bride and groom and witnesses. The bride and groom then take care of the technical aspects, call friends… and everything always goes very well”, explains Dilliès, for whom these ceremonies “are not complicated to set up”. “It’s a matter of political will. You have to agree to dust off certain aspects of civil marriage.”
Two localities do not yet offer the formula, but are seriously considering it. In Etterbeek, it should be possible in the future for the bride and groom to say yes to the Jardin Jean-Félix Hap. In Ganshoren, “various possible places are being studied, including the Château de Rivieren”, informs us the mayor Jean-Paul Van Laethem (Les Engagés).
“Favor substance over fun”
While several municipalities in the capital occasionally officiated outside during the health crisis, most entities limit ceremonies to the council room or other ceremonial place. “We had a reflection regarding possible outdoor ceremonies. But the logistics were going to be restrictive. We have a beautiful place, Château Malou, and we want to give priority to a sense of commitment, to give priority to substance over fun”, explains the alderwoman Jacqueline Destrée-Laurent of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
This Belgian couple plan their wedding in just five days: “They have little time left, so it’s now or never”
Among the reasons often mentioned by the municipalities: the provision of already exceptional places. Let us think in particular of the prestigious town halls of Brussels, Schaerbeek, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles. “In Jette, we have Dieleghem Abbey. We hold the wedding indoors, and people then often go outside to take the photos,” says Alderman Mounir Laarissi (LE).
“We already had a couple dressed as dinosaurs”
Besides the outdoors, weddings in Brussels are sometimes full of surprises… “We already had a couple dressed as dinosaurs”, recalls the mayor of Forest Mariam El Hamidine (Ecolo). “We also allow animals. We have therefore already seen a dog bring wedding rings, attached to his collar. It was very cute.”
Several municipalities themselves offer one or the other originality. In Koekelberg, for example, it is possible to have a wedding in Brussels. “This makes it possible to give a heritage dimension to Brussels as a language”, indicates Alderman Aouasti (PS). In Schaerbeek, on the last Saturday of the month, young musicians from the academy come to animate the ceremonies. “The most requested day”, rejoices Quentin van den Hove (Open-VLD). In Anderlecht, a “week of love” takes place around February 14th.
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