Same-sex couples have been able to marry in Slovenia since 2022, following a decision of the Constitutional Court and the subsequent change to the Family Code. Marriage is marriage: the same civil ceremony, the same registrar, the same certificate.
We will keep this page factual rather than promotional, because couples researching this question are usually looking for a straight answer and not for a brochure.
What this means in practice
A same-sex couple marrying in Slovenia goes through the same process as any other couple. The ceremony is conducted by a registrar from the local administrative unit — for Bled, the unit in Radovljica — and the resulting marriage is a Slovenian civil marriage.
The documents are also the same: birth certificates, a certificate of no impediment to marriage, proof of the end of any previous marriage, passports, two witnesses, and certified translations into Slovene. The full sequence is in our guide to getting legally married in Slovenia.
The one thing to check early
There is a practical complication that applies to some international same-sex couples and to nobody else.
The certificate of no impediment to marriage is issued by your own country. A minority of countries will not issue one for a same-sex marriage, or will issue a document worded in a way that creates questions abroad. If that may apply to either of you, this is the first thing to resolve — before the date, before the venue, before anything.
Ask the administrative unit directly what they will accept in your situation, and ask your own embassy or consulate what they can issue. Both conversations are worth having early, and the answer determines whether you complete the legal marriage in Slovenia or at home.
If it is difficult: many couples in this position marry legally in a country where the paperwork is simple, and hold the ceremony that matters to them at the lake, led by a celebrant of their choosing. Nothing about the day changes.
Whether a place is actually welcoming
You cannot tell this from a rainbow on a website, and we are not going to put one there. The honest test is what a venue does, not what it displays:
- Does the enquiry reply use your names, without hesitation or workaround?
- Are the forms and the ceremony script written for two people, or for “the bride” and “the groom”?
- Does the venue talk about weddings it has actually hosted, rather than about how welcoming it is?
- When you ask a direct question, do you get a direct answer?
Ask those questions of us too. We would rather be judged on the reply than on the page.
Our position, plainly
Bled Rose Hotel hosts weddings. The ceremony in the garden by the shore, the dinner in the halls, the party, the rooms upstairs and the breakfast the next morning are the same for every couple who books them, and our team has run more than 500 weddings without needing this explained to them.
If there is anything you would like to ask before enquiring — about how the day is run, about the ceremony script, about how the staff will address you, or about whether any part of this is a conversation you should not have to have — write to sales@bledrose.com and ask directly. You will get a direct answer within one working day.
See the venue, how our packages are built, or, for smaller and more private celebrations, our guide to elopements and small weddings.
Frequently asked questions
Is same-sex marriage legal in Slovenia? Yes. Same-sex couples have been able to marry in Slovenia since 2022, following a Constitutional Court decision and a change to the Family Code.
Can foreign same-sex couples marry in Slovenia? Yes, subject to the same documentary requirements as any foreign couple. The one point to check early is whether your own country will issue a certificate of no impediment for a same-sex marriage — ask the administrative unit and your consulate before fixing a date.
Will a Slovenian marriage be recognised in our home country? That depends entirely on your own country’s law, not Slovenia’s. Check with your consulate before you travel, and ask what you will need in order to register the marriage at home afterwards.
Can we have a symbolic ceremony instead? Yes, and many couples do — the legal marriage completed at home, the ceremony itself held at the lake with a celebrant of your choosing. On the day, nothing looks different.
Is Lake Bled a good destination for an LGBTQ+ wedding? Slovenia legalised same-sex marriage in 2022 and Bled is an established international wedding destination. As with any venue anywhere, judge the individual venue by how it answers your first email.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The administrative unit is the authority on your case. Written by the wedding team at Bled Rose Hotel, Cesta svobode 8, Bled — sales@bledrose.com.