Georgia has banned gay marriage twice — by law in 1996 and by an amendment to the state constitution in 2004. That means you’ll have to travel if you want to wed where your marriage is legally recognized.

Since neither Georgia nor the federal government will acknowledge gay marriages from other states, you won’t bring any new legal rights home from your trip. That leads some couples to opt instead to simply tie the knot here.

But for others, it’s an important personal or political statement to say “I do” where gay couples are given full equality under the law. You might choose a destination wedding in one of these jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal, or have a small legal ceremony there followed by a larger ceremony or celebration back in Georgia.

Wedding: Where you can legally wed

It’s not exactly what you want to think about when planning for your big day, but if you do choose to legally marry, be aware that will be harder to legally divorce. States that allow non-resident gay couples to wed generally don’t allow access to their courts to dissolve these unions, meaning one or both partners may have to move to the state in order to obtain a divorce.

States where gay marriage is legal

Connecticut
District of Columbia
Iowa
Maryland*
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New York
Vermont
Washington*

*Governors in both states have signed marriage equality laws, but they have not taken effect yet and both could be repealed by possible voter referenda.

Countries where gay marriage is legal

Argentina
Belgium
Canada
Iceland
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
South Africa
Spain
Sweden