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UK Wedding News

20/04/2015

Couples Choose To Ditch Wedding Traditions – Survey

A new survey has found that more and more couples in Britain are choosing to ditch tradition when it comes to their wedding day.

The report, commissioned by hitched.co.uk, involved 1,893 newlyweds and looked at the choices they had made regarding their wedding day and compared them to answers they had collected since 2010.

One of the main changes to have occurred over the past five years is the move away from religious ceremonies, with services falling from 40% to 35% over the period. Registry offices on the other hand, has seen an increase in bookings – from 3% to 9% since 2010. In addition, 50% of newlyweds have opted for a civil ceremony when tying the knot.

When it comes to choosing dresses for the bridesmaids, the colour peach is also on its way out, with purple (19%) and blue (18%) now the most popular colour in the UK.

Another vital element of the wedding – the cake – has also undergone changes in the last five years. In 2011, 15% of couples opted to have cupcakes at their reception rather than a traditional cake, but now, just 10% of couples are doing the same. However, while the cake may be enjoying a resurgence, 5% of couples now have a cake made of cheese. In 2010, just 2% of couples had the same.

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The other major shift away from tradition was when it came to paying the bill for the wedding, the study revealed. Last year, just 7% of couples allowed the parents of the bride to pay for the cost. This compares to 9% in 2010. For many newlyweds (31.4%), they now choose to pay for their wedding themselves. Spending on weddings continues to increase by 3.4% year-on-year, with the average cost of a wedding now said to be £16,020. In 2013, this was £15,494.54.

Once the wedding is over, there is the honeymoon for couples to look forward to. Interestingly, however, it appears that newlyweds now prefer to travel somewhere closer to home, as opposed to a lavish destination across the world.

18% of couples are now said to go for a holiday in the UK, compared to 8% in 2010, while 32% of couples opt for a European break – up from 11% in 2010 – while a honeymoon to the rest of the world has fallen dramatically from 71% to 50%.

Commenting on the survey, Caroline Hendry, editor of hitched.co.uk, said: "As well as a snapshot of trends that might come and go we can see some longer term patterns emerging, with the decline of the religious ceremony and the expectation that parents would foot the bill.

"Couples seem more keen to foot the bill for drinks, but at the same time they are still under financial pressure, so other things need to give like the lavish honeymoon with more couples honeymooning in the UK or Europe or taking longer to save."

(JP/MH)

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"A new survey has found that more and more couples in Britain are choosing to ditch tradition when it comes to their wedding day."