Safi – For decades, the world’s most photographed weddings belonged to the rolling hills of Tuscany and the sunsets of Santorini. 

Now, Morocco is claiming its place on the guest list. Last year alone, the country hosted two A-list weddings, both held at the same luxury hotel in Marrakech.

The shift shows up in the numbers. Morocco’s tourism ministry reported a record 19.8 million visitors in 2025, up 14 percent in a year, keeping it ahead of Egypt as the most visited country in Africa. 

Tourism receipts reached MAD 124 billion ($13.5 billion) in the first 11 months.

Mel B married hairstylist Rory McPhee at the Selman Marrakech on August 2, a month after their first ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. 

Seven weeks later, on September 20, Canadian tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime married Nina Ghaibi at the same hotel in a ceremony attended by around 120 guests.

The pull behind the postcard

The setting explains some of it, but not all. Morocco waives visas for citizens of roughly 70 countries, including the US, the UK, and Canada, for stays of up to 90 days, with no paperwork beyond a passport stamp.

A direct flight from London to Marrakech takes about three hours and 40 minutes, no longer than the flight to Santorini.

What Santorini and Tuscany do not have is Morocco’s newly built five-star capacity. 

Owners Saida and Abdeslam Bennani Smires built the Selman in 2005 around a private Arabian-horse stud farm, and brought in the French designer Jacques Garcia to shape it. 

The Royal Mansour, commissioned by King Mohammed VI to “share the Moroccan art de vivre with the world,” followed five years later. 

Both hotels are younger than most of their celebrity guests.

A guest list that keeps growing

The pull is not new. Hannah Bronfman exchanged vows with Brendan Fallis at La Mamounia in May 2017, under the hotel’s olive trees, in a custom Vera Wang gown that drew as much coverage as the wedding.

Idris Elba and model Sabrina Dhowre took over three Marrakech venues in 2019: a “colors of the souk” dinner at Amanjena, vows at the walled Ksar Char-Bagh, and an all-white party at the Mandarin Oriental. 

Fleur East and Marcel Badiane-Robin said “I do” against the Atlas Mountains two months later, in front of about 120 guests including Harry and Sandra Redknapp.

Some choose the city and skip the spotlight. Poppy Delevingne opened her 2014 wedding weekend with a garden party at La Mamounia, then held her ceremony at Beldi Country Club.

Enzo Zidane, son of World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, tied the knot with Karen Goncalves at a private Marrakech residence in December 2022.

Why Morocco?

It wasn’t a difficult choice. Morocco already offered direct flights, accessible visas, breathtaking palaces, and a decade of couples proving it could host unforgettable weddings. 

Tuscany, Santorini, and the French Riviera never disappeared from the destination wedding map. Morocco simply earned its place alongside them.

Morocco spent the same two decades becoming easier to reach and better equipped to host grand celebrations. 

It never campaigned for a place on the wedding circuit, it simply kept earning repeat invitations.