Marriages have increased in number by more than 5% in England and Wales—with immigration, money and the availability of pre-nups named as possible reasons.
The latest ONS statistics, released this week, showed a 5.3% rise to 262,240 weddings in 2012. Civil ceremonies accounted for 70% of these.
The average age for men was 36.5 years, and 34 for women. However, the age group with the greatest percentage increase in number of marriages was men and women aged 65 to 69, rising by 25% and 21% respectively.
Charlotte Posnansky, senior associate, Charles Russell, says: “In practice, there are likely to be a number of factors at play.
“Could it be the more unromantic factors such as the recession making weddings more unaffordable for many until now or could it be more technical factors such as it now being easier for legitimate marriages to take place by people subject to immigration controls or even just that fewer people are choosing to marry abroad and thereby bolstering figures for England and Wales? One may hope that, with a large proportion of couples choosing to marry within five years of cohabiting, it is simply that romance is still alive and strong.
“In recent years we have seen a much greater increase in pre-marital agreements. These used to be the tool of older, wealthier couples who were marrying for the second time adopting the principle of ‘once bitten, twice shy’. However, the demand for pre-marital agreements between younger couples who are marrying for the first time and may not (yet) have significant wealth behind them has risen quite significantly. Perhaps this increased autonomy has eased fears of marriage.”
