Wedding bells back in fashion

40 years of decline halted

Marriage is coming back into fashion as recent figures show after 40 years of decline, the number of weddings has risen by 3.7 per cent in a year.

Data released by the Office of National Statistics showed there were 241,100 weddings in England and Wales in 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available.

This is 8,657 up on the previous year.

Figures published this week also showed that married people are the happiest, their sense of well-being higher than that of people living together and far higher than that of the single, divorced or separated.

Church of England weddings went up by four per cent in 2010 thanks to rules which allow couples a wider choice of churches than was available under the old system, which tied a bride and groom to the parish where

Two out of three of all civil weddings are now celebrated in stately homes, hotels, golf clubs or football-ground hospitality suites which have been allowed to stage ceremonies since 1995.

By 2009, the number of weddings was at the lowest since Queen Victoria was on the throne and overall the popularity of marriage has declined since 1972 – just after divorce reforms came into operation which made it possible to end a marriage in six months.

At the time there were more than 400,000 weddings a year in England and Wales.

The ONS said economic pressures could be behind the increase in 2010. “During tough economic times, people seek stability and family may be valued more highly than material goods. As parents could be out of work, they may have more time to spend on child rearing,” said a spokesman.