Marriage and weddings in the UK - Statistics & Facts

Modern marriage trends

While there has been a general decline in the frequency of marriage in the United Kingdom, it is still an important institution, as well as a valuable industry. In 2019 there were over 24.1 million married people in England and Wales, while in Scotland in 2018, 47 percent of the population were either married or in a civil partnership. One of the most important developments with regard to marriage, in recent years has been the legalization to allow same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom. Prior to 2014 civil partnerships were the only way for same-sex couples to gain the same legal rights as married couples, before same-sex marriage was legalized in March of that year, with Scotland following in December. The last jurisdiciton to legalize same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom was Northern Ireland, which did so in January 2020.

Wedding dates and costs

In terms of when weddings happened, the vast majority in England and Wales took place on a Saturday, with approximately 116 thousand weddings taking place on this day. Fridays were the second most-popular day for weddings at 42.6 thousand, while Tuesdays were the least popular day of the week. August was the most popular month for weddings in 2018, with 37.6 thousand weddings taking place in 2018, with September, July and June also proving popular. During this year the most common date for a wedding was Saturday, August 18, with almost 4.6 thousand weddings taking place on this date. In 2009 the average wedding cost around 20 thousand British pounds, but by 2018 this figure had reached approximately 32 thousand British pounds. Wedding venues accounted for the most of this spending, but other costs were also significant, including engagement rings, estimated to cost an average of over 3 thousand British pounds in London during 2017. Although places of worship were still a favored choice for wedding venues in 2018, the most common types were country or manor houses.

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