231,949
Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales, 2023
34.8
Median age for men in opposite-sex marriages
33.0
Median age for women in opposite-sex marriages
Open source table
Download the cited figures
The CSV contains 15 official data points. Every row includes its jurisdiction, reference year, coverage note, source URL, release date and checking date.
Key Takeaways
- ONS counted 231,949 marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales in 2023.
- The annual total was 8.6% lower than in 2022.
- Saturday 2 September was the most popular individual date.
- There is no official national figure for average wedding spend.
Latest official marriage figures
The Office for National Statistics release for 2023 covers marriages and civil partnerships registered in England and Wales. It is the latest annual release available when this page was checked.
The combined total was 231,949, which was 8.6% lower than in 2022. That comparison needs care because ceremonies postponed during the pandemic affected the preceding years.
| Measure | Latest published figure | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Marriages and civil partnerships | 231,949 | England and Wales, 2023 |
| Annual change | 8.6% decrease | Compared with 2022 |
| Largest regional share | South East, 16.1% | Marriages in England and Wales |
| Most popular date | Saturday 2 September | Marriages in 2023 |
When people get married
Saturday was still the most common day of the week. Saturday 2 September was the single most popular date in the 2023 data. These are historic registration figures, not a forecast of future venue demand.
For opposite-sex marriages, the median age was 34.8 for men and 33.0 for women. People aged 30 to 34 accounted for the largest number of both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages.
Same-sex marriages and civil partnerships
Female couples accounted for 59.8% of same-sex marriages in 2023, while male couples accounted for 40.2%. ONS also recorded 6,179 opposite-sex civil partnerships and 1,368 same-sex civil partnerships.
Marriage and civil partnership totals should not be treated as interchangeable. They are grouped here because the ONS release reports both, but the legal routes and category trends differ.
Why this is not a complete UK total
The figures above cover England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own registration statistics through different agencies and timetables. Adding releases from different periods can produce a number that looks current but is not genuinely comparable.
For that reason, this page gives the coverage beside every headline figure. We will only publish a combined UK total when the underlying national datasets cover compatible periods and definitions.
Latest figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland
The latest final releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland cover 2024, while the England and Wales release covers 2023. They are shown separately so the different reference years remain clear.
| Jurisdiction | Reference year | Published figure | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 2023 | 231,949 marriages and civil partnerships | ONS |
| Scotland | 2024 | 26,955 marriages | National Records of Scotland |
| Northern Ireland | 2024 | 7,251 marriages | NISRA |
National Records of Scotland also records 1,086 same-sex marriages in 2024. Civil ceremonies accounted for 12,381 marriages, while Humanist ceremonies accounted for 8,142. NISRA's figure is the final number of marriage registrations for Northern Ireland in 2024.
Wedding spend and guest-count claims
There is no official national statistic for the average cost of a UK wedding. Spend, guest count and supplier-use figures generally come from commercial surveys run by wedding platforms, insurers or financial companies.
Those studies can be useful, but the sample matters. Check who was invited, how many people answered, whether very small or very large weddings were excluded, and whether the reported figure is a mean or median. Our research methodology explains how Weddings Hub labels and reviews such claims.
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. September 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 figures from the linked official releases. 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.
The source publications are released under public-sector reuse terms. Please cite the relevant statistical authority as the primary source. If you also reference this table, link to this page so readers can see the checking date and any corrections.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many weddings take place in the UK each year?
There is no single directly comparable annual UK total. The latest ONS release records 231,949 marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales during 2023.
What is the average age to get married in the UK?
For opposite-sex marriages in England and Wales during 2023, median ages were 34.8 for men and 33.0 for women.
What is the most popular day for a wedding?
Saturday was the most common day in the 2023 ONS data. Saturday 2 September was the single most popular date.
What is the average UK wedding cost?
There is no official national average. Published spend figures usually come from commercial surveys, so check their sample and methodology.
Official sources: ONS, England and Wales 2023; National Records of Scotland, 2024; and NISRA, Northern Ireland 2024.
Figures checked 27 August 2026. Download the source table as CSV.