Same-Sex Weddings

Same-Sex Weddings in Phuket — Legal & Celebrant Guidance

Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise marriage equality, with the Marriage Equality Act taking effect on 23 January 2025. Same-sex couples can now marry legally in Phuket — and have a personal, celebrant-led ceremony to mark the day.

Legal same-sex marriage in Thailand

Since 23 January 2025, same-sex couples have the same right to register a marriage in Thailand as any other couple. The process is handled through a local district office (Amphur), and once registered the marriage is legally recognised in Thailand. Recognition in your home country depends on the laws there — please confirm with your embassy or a lawyer at home.

You can choose to register legally in Thailand and hold your celebrant ceremony alongside it, or keep the legal registration in your home country and treat the Phuket ceremony as the symbolic event. Both routes are common.

Your celebrant ceremony

I've delivered many same-sex ceremonies across Phuket — on beaches, in private villas and at resorts. Every script is written from scratch around the couple in front of me: your story, the words you want to say, the people you want to include. Nothing about the structure changes because you're same-sex; it simply reflects you.

Readings, vows, ring exchanges, sand ceremonies and family acknowledgements all work exactly the same way. We agree the shape of the ceremony together as the day approaches.

Help with the legal process

As well as being your celebrant, I am the co-owner — together with my Thai partner Supparin — of Unique Phuket Wedding Planners. That means we can also support couples through the legal registration in Phuket if you'd like to handle everything in one place.

The legal paperwork in Thailand has to be completed by a Thai national because of the language requirements at the district office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Supparin handles that side directly, in Thai, so the process runs smoothly for international couples who don't speak the language.

Full step-by-step detail on documents, timings and embassy affidavits is on the Unique Phuket same-sex wedding page.

Important note

This page is general guidance based on direct experience with international couples marrying in Phuket, not legal advice. Confirm the current requirements with your embassy and a local registration agent before booking flights or appointments.

Reviews

What couples say

How the ceremony planning works

Around 80% of my bookings come directly from resorts across Thailand or from established wedding planners. In these cases, I am booked directly and sent the couple's contact details so the ceremony planning can begin smoothly.

A couple of months before the wedding, I email the couple with example wedding ceremony scripts so they can start to design their ceremony in a relaxed and structured way.

Once the process is complete, I have:

a completed bespoke wedding ceremony
the couple's full names
the full names of any witnesses for the certificate
the couple's preferred colours for the Unity Sand Ritual

At that point, the planning is complete.

The couple may, during this process, schedule an online call to introduce themselves and cover any specific requests. This online call is not always necessary, as I always arrive early on the wedding day to meet the couple in person and offer guidance for a relaxed and memorable ceremony.

However, I am always available for an online call, as I understand that this is an important day in the couple's life and some couples appreciate that extra reassurance.

Legal & planning clarification

My role, and how it fits with your planner

In some countries, such as Australia, celebrants can legally marry couples and often act as wedding planners as well. This is not the case in Thailand.

As a wedding celebrant in Phuket, my role is to conduct the ceremony only. The legal marriage process in Thailand is handled separately, and suitable arrangements such as the venue, ceremony setup and event logistics are normally coordinated by a wedding planner or resort event manager.

This ensures that:

the ceremony location has confirmed permission
the setup is properly arranged
flowers and décor are in place
timing is coordinated with the venue
the ceremony runs smoothly

I can only conduct a ceremony at a location where express permission has been granted. In practice, this is not an obstacle, as most couples work with a planner or book through a resort.

I am also the co-owner of Unique Phuket Wedding Planners, together with my partner Supparin. This means couples who are just starting their planning journey can arrange their venue, ceremony setup and full wedding planning support, with me as their celebrant.

This combined experience helps ensure that both the planning and ceremony elements work seamlessly together.

Next step

Let's talk about your ceremony

Tell me about your dates, your venue and the kind of ceremony you have in mind. I reply personally, usually within a day.

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