The number of marriages in 2010, the most recent year for which records are available, was almost a quarter of a million. For the first time, the number of civil ceremonies topped two-thirds of all...

The number of marriages in 2010, the most recent year for which records are available, was almost a quarter of a million. For the first time, the number of civil ceremonies topped two-thirds of all marriages. The peak age range in which people got married was from 25 to 29. The largest percentage increase in numbers from 2009 to 2010 was for men aged 45 to 49 and women aged 30 to 34, both rising by 6%. Following the passing of the Marriage Act 1994, there was a fundamental change in where marriages were allowed to take place. Until then, they could only take place in churches or in Registry Offices, the local state outlet for civil ceremonies. The Act allowed weddings to take place in premises which had been given official approval. Unsurprisingly, the number of locations which sought and gained approval has grown rapidly as weddings offer the venue an additional revenue stream. A searchable index at http://www.weddingvenues.com/ gives an idea of the number and range of approved venues. At the time of writing there were 429 in the Greater London area alone. Table 1.2 gives some basic annual data on weddings at five-year intervals from 1989 for England and Wales. The data in Table 1.2 shows a number of trends:

Table 1.2