north sea island
“Juist married” – 250th beach wedding on Juist
A couple is getting married on the beach in Juist. Getting married with sand under your feet is becoming increasingly popular on the North Sea coast. photo
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
Many couples come to Juist especially to say yes. Where others go on vacation, you can also get married on the beach. It’s so popular that it’s celebrating an anniversary.
Getting married with sand under your feet is becoming increasingly popular on the North Sea coast. The 250th beach wedding is coming up on Juist this Saturday.
“People are very interested. As if finding an unusual wedding location is an addiction,” said Juister registrar Ingo Steinkrauss. Couples from all over Germany come to Juist for the vows, mainly because of the North Sea beach and the nature. According to its own statements, the island is the only place in Germany where there are beach weddings in the open air. Most weddings on Juist now take place on the beach.
Since May 2019 it has been possible to officially get married on the island in a civil registry office – weddings at sunrise or sunset are possible. This Saturday, a couple of guests will be married, who are in Juist for the first time, said Steinkrauss. They would have chosen the island as their wedding location because of the beach wedding. “Every wedding is something special,” emphasized the registrar. For the anniversary, the couple should receive a certificate as well as special cups – with the inscription “Juist married”.
You can also get married on the beach on other North Sea islands, for example on Baltrum or Norderney. On other islands, however, there is always a bathing machine, a rescue tower or a pavilion as a wedding location, said Steinkrauss. For the wedding ceremony on the beach in Juist, on the other hand, he only needs a handcart to transport a table and decorations. “It can be set up quickly in five minutes.” However, the right weather is always necessary: It should be dry and not too windy. “That always makes it exciting for the couples,” said Steinkrauss. For beach weddings, both couples and registrars would need to be flexible.
This year there will be 117 weddings on the East Frisian island, 68 of which will take place on the beach. Wedding dates are usually given about a year in advance, Steinkrauss said. There are still a few appointments for next year. “It gets a bit cramped in the summer.” It was mostly “Juist fans” who opted for a beach wedding, said the registrar. Islanders would generally prefer the wedding hall in the Old Warmbad.