Dozens marry for a day at Amsterdam Pride's mass wedding

Pride week in Amsterdam found a pink church, a veil in the wind and dozens of people saying "I do" for the day. On Thursday 6 August, dozens of people lined up at the Married For A Day event, part of Amsterdam's Pride festival, to get married or at least married for the day. Some wore rainbow flags and sequins, and some wore hardly anything at all. The event was held a short walk from where the world's first legalised same-sex unions took place 25 years ago. The first couple to take part were Jan Derksen-Wynn and John Wijfjes. "You have to have the right to get married," Derksen-Wynn told The Associated Press. The two men plan to marry for longer than a day eventually, though he noted "it's only been two years". Organiser Julia van den Beek said it was still important to celebrate marriage: "Love comes in every shape, in every form, in every way." The Netherlands was the first country to open marriage to same-sex couples, and more than 36,000 same-sex couples have married there since 2001, according to the national statistics office. Yet marriage as an institution is declining among the Dutch. In 1995, 56% of adults were married; in 2025, the figure was 44%. Many couples now sign cohabitation agreements instead, with the Dutch notary association counting 42,500 of them in 2025. Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the country's first openly gay leader, took part in the canal parade, a first for a Dutch prime minister. He said the event mattered more than ever because LGBTQ+ freedom and security are "under pressure" worldwide. For Vibra, the story is a reminder of what Pride season is really about: people turning up for each other. The same community fills Amsterdam's LGBTQ+ nights all year, and Vibra is built to reward that loyalty. Find the next party, buy your tickets in the app and earn Pulse points each time you go out, so showing up pays off long after the confetti is swept away. Source: AP News — Dozens tie the metaphorical knot at Amsterdam's 'Married For A Day' Pride event (6 August 2026).