UK Wedding Statistics 2026

How many weddings are there in the UK each year?

Each UK nation publishes its own marriage statistics on its own timetable. The latest final releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland cover 2024. The latest England and Wales release covers 2023.

The England and Wales total was 8.6% lower than in 2022. That comparison needs care, because ceremonies postponed during the pandemic boosted the preceding years. Opposite-sex marriages made up 216,901, or 93.5%, of all marriages and civil partnerships.

Scotland's latest quarterly figures point upwards. There were 6,458 marriages from October to December 2025, 5.2% above the average for that quarter (National Records of Scotland).

Why this is not a complete UK total

Adding releases from different periods can produce a number that looks current but is not genuinely comparable. This page gives the coverage beside every headline figure. We will only publish a combined UK total when the national datasets cover compatible periods and definitions.

When do UK couples get married?

Summer Saturdays dominate the wedding calendar. These are historic registration figures, not a forecast of future venue demand.

Our guide to UK summer wedding months compares June, July and August in more detail.

How old are people when they marry?

These figures are not directly comparable. A median is the middle value. A mean is pulled upwards by people marrying later in life, including remarriages. People aged 30 to 34 accounted for the largest number of both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages in England and Wales.

Civil, religious or humanist: how do couples marry?

Scotland shows what happens when humanist weddings are legal. They have been recognised there since 2005. In 2024, civil ceremonies accounted for 12,381 Scottish marriages (46%). Humanist ceremonies accounted for 8,142, about 30% of all marriages (National Records of Scotland).

Scotland also recorded 1,086 same-sex marriages in 2024. In England and Wales, female couples accounted for 59.8% of same-sex marriages in 2023 and male couples for 40.2%. ONS also recorded 6,179 opposite-sex civil partnerships and 1,368 same-sex civil partnerships.

In England and Wales, a humanist ceremony has no legal standing yet, so couples also need a civil ceremony. Our guide explains whether humanist weddings are legal in England and Wales.

How much does a UK wedding cost?

There is no official national statistic for the average cost of a UK wedding. Spend figures come from commercial surveys, so the sample matters. The two largest UK surveys put the average just above £20,000. Both exclude the engagement ring and the honeymoon.

Hitched's January 2026 report adds detail on budgets and who pays (Hitched):

• 56% of couples overspent their budget in 2025. 32% stayed on budget and 6% came in under.
• Weddings with more than 100 guests cost £35,591 on average, nearly 40% above the overall average.
• Cost per guest rose 4%, from £261 in 2024 to £272.
• Millennial couples spent £23,612 on average. Gen Z couples spent £21,373, and 68% relied on parents to help pay.
• 61% of UK couples received money from family, compared with 40% in France, 39% in Italy and 35% in Spain.

We compare both surveys in our Hitched vs Bridebook cost guide. Our research methodology explains how Weddings Hub labels survey claims.

How much does a wedding cost in each region?

London weddings cost £9,644 more than weddings in the North West, according to Bridebook. Hitched reports a lower London figure and a higher one for the East of England, which shows how much survey samples vary.

Scottish couples spend the most per guest, at £293 a head (Hitched). See our UK wedding cost by region guide for how to budget in your area.

How many guests come to a UK wedding?

The average wedding ceremony has around 74 guests, and 41% of receptions host fewer than 60 people (Bridebook). Bridebook also reports a sharp fall in evening guest numbers.

Hitched calls this shift "quality over quantity". Couples invite fewer guests but spend more on each one. Our guide to spend per wedding guest breaks this down.

How much does it cost to be a wedding guest?

Guests are cutting back. The Money and Pensions Service published its latest survey in July 2026 (MaPS). It did not publish a sample size.

• One in three UK adults turned down a wedding event, such as a stag or hen do, because of the cost.
• Four in ten 25 to 34-year-olds declined at least one wedding-related event because of the cost.

How big is the UK wedding industry?

The number of UK wedding businesses is shrinking after 15 years of growth. This comes from an analysis of Companies House records by companydata.com.

• There are 6,720 active wedding businesses in 2026 so far: 2,990 wedding planners and 3,730 bridal shops.
• This is the first annual fall since records began in 2010. Wedding planners are down by 150, about 5%.
• The sector grew from 2,183 businesses in 2010 to 6,870 in 2025.
• Net growth peaked at 675 new businesses in 2018, then slowed every year to just 34 in 2025.

What could change for UK weddings?

On 16 July 2026 the Government opened a consultation on reforming marriage law in England and Wales. It includes legal recognition for humanist weddings. The Ministry of Justice impact assessment expects 22.8% of couples to choose one, about 52,675 ceremonies a year (Humanists UK).

The estimate is based on Scotland's experience since 2005. The reforms follow the Law Commission's July 2022 report on weddings law. If they pass, demand for wedding celebrants in England and Wales is likely to rise.

How couples can use the figures

National data can help with broad planning, but it cannot tell you what a venue or photographer has available on your date. Summer Saturdays are popular in the historic figures, so couples considering a similar date may want to begin enquiries earlier. A weekday or off-season date may offer more choice, although each supplier sets its own prices and calendar.

Dataset notes and reuse

The downloadable table is a transcription of selected official figures. It does not merge different reference years into a new UK total. Values remain attributed to the original statistical authority, and coverage notes explain what each row counts. Cost and guest figures on this page come from commercial and public-body surveys, and are labelled with their source.

The official source publications are released under public-sector reuse terms. Please cite the relevant statistical authority as the primary source. If you also reference this page, link to it so readers can see the checking date and any corrections.