/ 31 January 2005

Record number of airport weddings in Sweden

The number of weddings performed at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport increased by more than 30% last year compared with 2003, an airport spokesperson said on Monday.

”It’s mostly couples on their way to their honeymoon that take the opportunity to exchange rings at the airport,” spokesperson Niclas Haerenstam said.

Last year, 348 couples married at the airport, compared with 261 in 2003. The weddings took place either in the airport chapel or, more commonly, in a VIP room, where they can check in their luggage, order champagne and catering, and when the wedding ceremony is over, be driven straight up to the aircraft.

”The newlyweds get the same service as, for instance, the royal family when they travel,” he said.

”This is a good solution for those who want a more simple ceremony and who give priority to the honeymoon trip,” Haerenstam said. — Sapa-AP