Chef Christian Moller swears he's not slipping any aphrodisiacs into the gravlax at Out of Denmark, but the tiny Delray Beach restaurant has nevertheless been awash in romance lately.

A favorite of anniversary celebrants, Out of Denmark is closed this month so that Christian can prepare for his Sept. 18 wedding to Karin Van Gremberghe, who waits tables there.

For the past two weeks, the couple has asked diners to scribble their thoughts on marriage onto pastel pieces of paper. The advice and stories will be collected into a booklet to be handed out to hand-holding, dreamy-eyed diners.

The project is Christian and Karin's way of sharing their engagement with regular patrons.

"They are all really part of our family," says Karin, 28 and a native of Brussels, Belgium. "They want to know about my wedding dress and the honeymoon and what are we going to eat and how many guests."

(For the record, the off-white dress is sleeveless with a long veil; the honeymoon will be in the Keys if the weather's good, in St. Augustine if it's not; the reception menu will include small portions of house specialties such as Danish salmon and snapper in a bag; and the guest list numbers 30.)

The salmon and snapper won't be prepared by 31-year-old Christian, a California native who
trained at the Culinary Institute of America. "He is definitely not allowed in the kitchen that day," Karin says. "He has to be a guest and have fun."

The couple met three years ago when Karin came into the family- owned restaurant looking for work. Christian spotted her from the kitchen, where he was making a layer cake.

"We didn't need anybody to work here, but I told my dad to hire her," he says. "I liked her right away."

Christian and Karin quickly became friends and then moved in together two months later. He proposed on Sanibel Island in April 1998.

After the wedding, they'll continue working almost side by side - Christian back in the efficient kitchen, Karin out front in the intimate dining room.

"We're together seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Christian says. "And when we go home from work, she wants me to sit with her to watch TV."

Their own bit of advice for combining work and love - don't talk about the office at home and don't take stress-induced outbursts on the job personally.

"Christian and I, first of all, are best friends," Karin says. "We just hold hands no matter what."

SOMETHING ABOUT MARRIAGE

Here's a smorgasbord of marital thoughts that Out of Denmark patrons have shared with Christian Moller and Karin Van Gremberghe, who will marry Sept. 18:

"Because she couldn't remember my name when introducing me to her friend (just returning from our honeymoon), I decided we'd better get to know each other better." - Married 39 years

"Have a good sense of humor. Even if you don't think it's a laughing matter, laugh anyway." - Married 38 years

"Love is a lot like the game of golf. Sometimes you get birdies, sometimes you get bogeys, and sometimes you get par. But the important thing is to enjoy it!" - An unmarried couple

"Two weeks after our beautiful wedding ceremony, we learned just how real our vows were: He had a reoccurrence of a life-threatening illness. We are currently fighting this battle and are confident we will win. We plan on being married as long as her parents (40 years) and grandparents (70 years)." - Married 2 months, 10 days

"Mary and I met as my father and her uncle worked together. . . . We dated for a short time. Her aunt took a liking to me and convinced Mary to marry me, as in 1939 I had a 1937 car (all paid for) and a steady job." - Married 60 years

"Laugh at all his jokes." - Engaged couple

"There are no secrets. Just hard work and stick-to-it-iveness." - Married 46 years