Australian man Scott Mercer and Thai husband Bank Suntisawee with family at their intimate wedding ceremony.

When Edinburgh man Nicholas Duffy proposed to long-term partner Craig Soutar over dinner in the Abel Tasman National Park, Soutar accepted and immediately proposed back.

The pair are part of a growing trend of couples coming to marry in New Zealand after same-sex marriages were legalised in 2013.

The number of foreign couples marrying here has trebled, and over 1500 couples from all over the world have tied the knot on New Zealand soil.

Supplied Bank Suntisawee and his mother Phitsinee Suntisawee (Nucy) on his wedding day.

Even Married at First Sight television couple Andy John and Craig Roach crossed the ditch for their on-air wedding, although the pair opted for a non-binding ceremony.

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Duffy and Soutar were on a round-the-world trip, and it was the first time they had been to New Zealand. The pair had already decided they wanted to have their union here, even without marriage being on offer, but it was a "real bonus".

Same-sex couple Scott Mercer and Bank Suntisawee on their wedding day this year.

"Our love is equally important as anybody elses', and in today's world any bond of love must be celebrated," Soutar said.

Australian couple Scott Mercer and Bank Suntisawee also came to New Zealand for a small wedding on Waiheke Island in September.

Mercer said they were fortunate for the strong support network they had from his husband Suntisawee's family and the Thai Buddhist community.

After six months of a long distance relationship, Suntisawee moved to Melbourne and the pair said "the opportunity to marry abroad, and be recognised at home, seemed the perfect option."

Marriage celebrant Charlotte Winkel​ said many couples were opting to come to New Zealand so they could "combine the holiday and the honeymoon."

By getting married here, they were able to save on travel costs and see the rest of the country.

Christchurch celebrant Julie Lassen said many couples "got fed up waiting" for the Australian laws to change, and crossed the ditch for their wedding.

Many couples travel here to get married in secret before a big reveal to their family and friends, she said.

Christchurch-based celebrant Keith Eleftheriou said as an Australian, he was disappointed that his home country had not changed their Marriage Act "despite it being so much an identity of Australia".

Last year nearly 450 foreign same-sex couples tied the knot, compared to 76 civil unions in 2011, and almost half of all same-sex weddings were international couples.

The trend looks to continue to grow this year.

Owner of Queer Eye Weddings Francesca Jago said she had even planned a wedding for a couple before the proposal. After being contacted by the groom-to-be, she organised the big day before he popped the question while on a cruise with his partner.

He surprised his now husband with the wedding a week later when they arrived in New Zealand.

Jago said same-sex weddings were "a lot more unique and they don't fit the structure of traditional weddings".

In three years the company had never organised a church wedding.

Celebrant Sheryl Mungall​ said she had encountered many Asian couples who were fearful of being found out, and often even their families did not know they were married.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in all Asian countries, and only Israel recognises same-sex marriages performed overseas.