Picture this: surrounded by friends and family, you are in a stunning fairy tale location celebrating your special day with your loved one. Absolute, unashamed, bliss. Finding the right wedding venue for your big day can be a bit of a minefield, so we have hand-selected for you our best hotels for LGBT, gay, and lesbian weddings around the world. These hotels are so lovely that you will want to spend your honeymoon there too!
From white sandy beaches, emerald-colored seas, and seductive sunsets to urban sophistication, we hope that our ideas inspire you to make the perfect choice for your LGBT wedding and honeymoon and set the stage for your very own happily ever after.
1. Hotel de Cours de Thomazeau
LGBT marriage in France has been legal since 18 May 2013. It became the thirteenth country worldwide to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. We have therefore mentioned three wonderful hotels you can marry at in France in this listing.
A very warm welcome awaits you at the magical and historical monument, the Hotel de Cours de Thomazeau. Lying in the heart of the medieval bastide town of Castillonnès in France, Hotel de Cours de Thomazeau can be conveniently found within easy reach of international airports and train stations. Bordeaux is 90 minutes away, Toulouse two hours, and Bergerac a 20-minute drive.
Built-in 1770 on the footprint of the early medieval fortified chateau, L`Hotel de Cours de Thomazeau was designed by Louis Victor (famed for the Bordeaux opera house) and just oozes luxury. This fascinating building has been renovated into a gracious private hotel by the current owners, Jennie and Ron Whetton, who welcome all couples to their beautiful wedding venue.
You can’t help but admire the opulence of this hotel with its soaring ceilings and chandeliers, an underground gallery and spring, and elegant furniture and antiques throughout. In fact, throughout the year, L`Hotel de Cours de Thomazeau hosts many cultural and entertainment events in its numerous reception rooms.
The hotel offers delightfully French breakfasts (served in the dining room at a time to suit you!) and evening meals, whilst the rooms in this grand townhouse offer elegance, comfort, and a certain French ‘je ne sais quoi’.
All of the bedrooms feature private bathrooms, safe, access to high-speed Wi-Fi, and breakfast. They also benefit from access to a minibar located just outside your room, along with tea and coffee-making facilities, and there is a TV in the communal sitting room. All rooms are stunning, but the large Aliènor Room has its own wing, views of the courtyard and quiet street, and is approached by the grand staircase. This is the room to pick for your wedding night or honeymoon. Blue Horizons is also a beautifully bright room with 3 double windows overlooking the valley.
Every wedding or partnership is uniquely special, and your exclusive and intimate LGBT wedding at L`Hotel de Cours de Thomazeau will, without a doubt, reflect this. Of course, this is the most important day in two people’s lives, and unquestionably special attention is given here to the happy couple and their guests. The staff (speaking both English and French) ensures that the uniqueness of all couples is celebrated in this truly wonderful venue for an unforgettable day. They will even help to arrange it from start to finish.
2. Four Seasons Resorts Hawaii
I got married in Maui, and the American islands of Hawaii welcome straight and LGBT weddings from around the world. Each of its eight islands is unique in charm and character. Big Island has volcanoes, Kauai has Jurassic Park-style jungles, Oahu is a more urban city, while Maui has the most luxury resort area, Wailea.
Getting married in Hawaii, whichever island you choose, is a dream come true for most couples. The near-perfect weather is complemented by beautiful beaches, which are the perfect place to hold the ceremony. My top choice is Maui, and popular Maui venues for gay and lesbian weddings on Maui include Poolenalena Beach, Wailea Beach, Makena Cove, Kihei Beaches, Kula Botanical Gardens, Country Church Makena Beaches, Four Seasons Wailea, Grand Wailea, and Wailea Marriot, Andaz and the Kea Lani.
Choose from ministers or non-religious Officiants who can perform your choice of a Christian, Spiritual, non-religious, Civil, or Hawaiian ceremony. Wedding organizers can also provide LGBT Officiants, photographers, wedding planning, license information, and so forth.
And where should you stay? We chose the Four Seasons Maui in Wailea, but all the Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii welcome lesbian and gay couples, so pick whichever property you prefer.
We have outlined the best Four Seasons in Hawaii to help you choose. These Hawaiian Four Seasons hotels also feature in our selection of the best Four Seasons in the world in you are looking for an alternative to Hawaii.
3. Four Seasons Hotels, Europe
Lesbian and gay marriage in France has been legal since 18 May 2013. It became the thirteenth country worldwide to allow LGBT couples to marry.
For stylish sophistication in Europe, pick Four Seasons Paris Georges V or Four Seasons Cap Ferrat (South of France) for your LGBT wedding. Paris is, after all, the city of love, and the Four Seasons in Paris has one of the best hotel pools in Paris.
Our favorite European Four Seasons is, however, the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, which is the best hotel on the French Riviera. Set in Belle Epoque splendor in a building that dates back to the 1800s, this ultra-luxury hotel offers everything you would expect of the very best Four Seasons hotel, but with a sprinkle of French chic.
The lawns set to the front of the property offer the perfect place for your wedding photos, and the hotel will cordon off one corner of the grounds for your very own private wedding party.
You come here for the picture-perfect grounds, ideal for LGBT wedding photos, the views, the ambiance, and to immerse yourself in complete luxury. The gardens of Le Grand Hotel Cap Ferrat are a fragrant mix of pines, lush tropical bushes, and cacti, and apparently, the climate is so mild that even bananas grow here. There are 15 gardeners keeping these gardens immaculate, and there is hardly a leaf out of place.
In front of the main house, the multi-leveled main terrace offers up drinks and cocktails as well as fine dining under fairytale-like trees. When you look out to sea, the pink flowers in the trees seem to contrast and then match the sky as the sunsets. Perfect for romance and your LGBT wedding.
4. Four Seasons Florence, Italy
Since May 2016, lesbian and gay weddings, legal civil weddings, and unions have been legal in Italy. So MR&MR and MRS&MRS can make their dreams come true in Italy.
Four Seasons Florence in Italy is the perfect venue for your LGBT wedding, and this hotel has at least two amenities that are very rare in Florence: an 11-acre private park perfect for your wedding photos and an on-site spa. Four Seasons Hotel Firenze takes luxury living to new heights in this Renaissance capital.
Original frescoes and reliefs grace the walls, while outside, a centuries-old private park invites quiet exploration. The Uffizi and Duomo are just a short stroll away.
Your room will either be in the 16th-century Conventino, formerly a convent, or the 15th-century Palazzo della Gherardesca, once a palace. No two of the 116 bright guestrooms are alike. As for the spa, it boasts an outdoor swimming pool, whirlpool, and myriad treatments.
We recommend that you splurge on the Duomo Suite for a truly romantic LGBT wedding or honeymoon night. You may never want to leave the room!
5. Four Seasons Bora Bora
Fly from the US via Tahiti to reach the magical South Pacific, where you’ll find some of the most luxurious resorts in the world. French Polynesia is extremely welcoming to LGBT travelers, too, and allows gay and lesbian weddings.
On its very own mystical island, with its necklace of white-fringed coral islets, Four Seasons will turn your LGBT wedding and honeymoon into a South Seas escape.
Arrive via private luxury boat, as Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora is located on its own island, surrounded by crystalline turquoise waters. Culinary art embraces operatic sunsets over the island’s primeval peaks. Introduce your partner to sea turtles. Kite-surf across the impossibly blue lagoon. Spirit yourselves away in a spa by the rolling Pacific surf.
Within 100 over-water bungalows (and 7 beachfront villas) nestling around the Bora Bora lagoon and its outer beaches, your wedding night will overlook the lagoon’s turquoise waters. Follow wooden walkways to your overwater bungalow suite, replete with teak furniture; some also feature a private plunge pool.
Distinctive touches include the fragrance of vanilla and the texture of black pearls in the spa, alfresco dining overlooking Bora Bora’s famed lagoon, and signature Four Seasons service at every turn.
If you want your LGBT wedding to be a vision of South Seas perfection, Four Seasons Bora Bora is a perfect choice, truly embracing the spirit of French Polynesia.
6. Four Seasons Resort Bali
While Indonesia, as a whole, is not a great place for an LGBT wedding, the island of Bali is an exception. The beach resort of Seminyak is particularly welcoming to LGBT travelers. It offers wonderful beaches and luxury hotels, but also gay bars and clubs that offer drag acts and a welcoming vibe.
Beach wedding ceremonies are particularly popular here. They can be completely secluded or part of a resort, or you can get married on the private beach of a stunning villa. We recommend staying at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, an all-villa beach retreat alive with tradition and innovation.
The iconic resort’s 156 pool villas cascade down 14 hectares of hilly headland and tropical gardens adorned with hundreds of statues and shrines.
Inspired by the layout of a Balinese village, the accommodations are arranged into seven distinct ‘villages’, all with customary Village Chief. Walled and utterly private, each villa’s Modern Tropical design reflects the grace and beauty of Balinese architecture. Each spacious bedroom opens onto the pool and separate outdoor living bale, while an alfresco shower garden complements the elegant, stylish bathroom.
In keeping with local traditions, guests are encouraged to connect to the power and purity of water, from swimming and surf lessons to ocean-sprayed meditation and signature healing rituals.
The resort can advise on arranging your wedding, or you can use a gay and lesbian wedding specialist like Rainbow Weddings to make your special day even more perfect.
7. El Cigarral de las Mercedes
Only an hour away from the international airport Madrid Barajas in Spain, and 45 minutes from the center of Madrid, you will find El Cigarral de las Mercedes. Overlooking the beautiful and historic city of Toledo, this hotel is a stunning wedding venue in Spain, complete with beautiful gardens, four villas, a lake, and a mesmerizing view.
Mainly focused on straight, gay, and lesbian wedding celebrations, you will find this hotel drills down into the finest details, where everything has been carefully planned and arranged.
8. Matakauri Lodge
New Zealand legalized them in August 2013, and this small luxury boutique hotel, Matakauri Lodge, can be found on the banks of Lake Wakatipu just minutes from the heart of Queenstown. With its stunning mountain views, the Lodge offers four luxury suites and six luxury villas, each with amazing views of the Queenstown lakeside.
A perfect private hideaway retreat offering a uniquely memorable LGBT wedding experience in the adventure capital of New Zealand.
9. The Palms Hotel, Miami
The Palms Hotel in Miami is certified by the Gay Wedding Institute and can accommodate all wedding requirements. Boasting views of the hotel’s tropical gardens, the ocean, or Miami Beach, this venue is just minutes from the lively South Beach yet perfectly located if you are looking for tropical beachside serenity.
The Palms Hotel, Miami, offers the simple splendor of a casual dinner buffet amidst the lush greenery and dangling orchids to a seaside ceremony and elegant reception on their plantation-style veranda or ballroom. It’s lush, charming, romantic, and relaxing. Plus, the attentive team at the hotel will arrange the entire wedding for you.
10. Casa Velas
Mexico is home to the friendly towns of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, Vallarta has a bustling gay scene and loads of colorful Mexican charm. It also offers sun-drenched beaches with Pacific and Caribbean waves crashing on the shore.
Dance under the stars overlooking the ocean and fall in love with the sand, surf, sky, and each other at Casa Velas, Mexico.
Set amidst tropical gardens, Casa Velas is a peaceful venue with outstanding views. Located in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this luxurious all-inclusive boutique hotel offers a very comprehensive wedding package for all types of ceremonies, including LGBT.
Enjoy a beach ceremony at our Ocean Club or a reception in a botanical garden with fragrant flowers and palm trees. Barefoot of the sand or black tie. This is your moment.
We would have liked to include the wedding and honeymoon destinations of the Maldives and Mauritius as possible LGBT wedding destinations, but both countries have strict rules and can only offer ’symbolic’ ceremonies such as the renewing of vows or wedding celebration rather than a full wedding.
The Caribbean is also a difficult destination for the LGBT community. LGBT marriages have been legal in St. Thomas and St. Croix since 2015. St Thomas has perfect beaches, luxury hotels, and duty-free shopping, while St Croix is a lesser-known island and a top pick for romance.
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