Married in Georgia in One Day
In Sighnaghi, a town that overlooks the Alazani Valley, the local branch of the Public Service Hall registers marriages around the clock, with no days off and no holidays. The service is open to foreign nationals as well: they do not need a residence permit, and valid international passports are all that the couple will be required to present. The laws of some countries may require an additional certificate showing that a person is not already married; such a certificate is issued by the embassy of the country in question.
The ceremony is conducted in the Georgian language, so a couple who do not speak the language will need to bring an interpreter with them. Standard registration takes about two weeks, but for an extra fee the marriage can be performed on the very same day. For the marriage certificate to be valid in the spouses’ home country, it usually has to be stamped with an apostille, a special stamp that confirms the legality of the document.
From Sighnaghi, newlyweds can set off straight for the vineyards of Kakheti, Georgia’s main wine-growing region. Here you can arrange a dinner in a marani, a traditional wine cellar in which clay vessels for aging wine, known as qvevri, are buried in the ground. This method of winemaking has a history of eight thousand years and has been included on UNESCO’s heritage list. The best time to visit the wineries is rtveli, the grape harvest, which runs from mid-September through October.
A few hours’ drive from Tbilisi along the Georgian Military Road lies the settlement of Stepantsminda, at the foot of Mount Kazbek. Many of the local hotels offer a view of the Gergeti Trinity Church, which stands at an altitude of 2,170 meters. In winter the Cross Pass is often closed, so it is wise to check the state of the road in advance.
A longer route leads to Upper Svaneti, known for its medieval villages with defensive towers. In Mestia or in Ushguli, one of the highest permanent settlements in Europe, you can stay in a guesthouse built around an authentic Svan tower. In winter, a trip to Svaneti will require a car with four-wheel drive.
