England 21/05/2013 – The number of weddings registered in the UK is dropping overall, but London is bucking the trend.
The number of couples choosing to marry in the capital is continuing to increase steadily. During 2008, 28,938 couples married in London, but by 2009 that figure was 29,428. These figures are the latest complete statistics to be released by the Office of National Statistics, so whether this trend has continued is not clear. However, the capital’s wedding planners, caterers and wedding photographers have reason to believe that the number of weddings taking place in London have continued to rise, since 2009. For example, demand for London wedding photography by Peter Bur has increased steadily, including over the past few years.
This is especially interesting because, in the South East, as a whole, the number of weddings taking place has dropped rather than increased. In 2008, there were 40,591 weddings, by 2009 that figure had dropped to just 39,488.
Many statisticians and people involved in the wedding sector have simply assumed that the increase was natural. Understandably, many have concluded that the increase was largely down to the fact that London’s population has grown.
There is nothing wrong with this assumption, because the population of London is continuing to grow steadily. However, when you consider that the population of the South East, as a whole, has also continued to grow at a similar pace, the population argument does not seem so valid. After all, if the reason for more weddings was purely related to population size the region as a whole should have seen an increase in wedding numbers as well, instead the number of weddings has fallen.
London offers a spectacular backdrop for a wedding
No research has been done around why the number of weddings in London is increasing, but there are several possible reasons for it. One reason may be the fact that London offers such a huge choice of venues for weddings.
You do not have to live in London to marry there. Anyone who wants a spectacular backdrop for their wedding can choose to marry there. Foreign nationals, with the right entry visas and identification documentation, can even marry in one of 15 designated registry offices in London. Peter Bur Wedding Photography agrees that people are attracted to the capital by its diverse wedding and reception venues, and expect the number of weddings in London to continue to increase.