Wedding bells ring out in record year

THE Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed new data that shows a record number of marriages registered in 2022, marking a significant rebound from the reduced nuptials seen during the previous two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local businesses have also noted that this upward trend in marriages has continued into 2023.

I Like Weddings photographer Alex Shore said business was booming in the 2023-2024 summer.

“We are getting more weekday weddings, we are seeing people getting married on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays as well as weekends,” Mr Shore said.

Mr Shore noted a rise in beautiful elopements along the coast, with many couples choosing to elope to the Bellarine and Surf Coast for beachside photos.

 

“I did one where the bride and groom walked from Apollo Bay to Cape Otway Lighthouse,” he said.

Some of the most popular venues include Rocklea Farm in Stonehaven and the Wye Beach Hotel in Wye River, as well as Clyde Park Vineyard in Bannockburn.

“Rocklea Farm has a bit of everything: a beautiful reception spot, function area, and surrounds, with everything conveniently on site,” Mr Shore explained.

“Clyde Park Winery in Bannockburn is popular because it is family run, they drive you down to a beautiful creek for the ceremony and then back to a stunning hilltop location for the reception.”

ABS head of health and vital statistics, James Eynstone-Hinkins, said there were 127,161 couples who married in 2022, over 13,000 more than 2019.

“There were around 79,000 marriages in 2020 and 89,000 in 2021, showing the impact the pandemic had on couples’ ability to get married in these years,” Mr Eynstone-Hinkins said.

 

“While this was the highest number of marriages on record in Australia, the marriage rate of 6.1 for every 1,000 people aged 16 years and up, is comparable with pre-pandemic years (5.6 in 2019 and 6.0 in 2018).”

Normal seasonal trends for weddings were disrupted during the pandemic but re-established in 2022, with many couples opting for spring and autumn weddings. The most popular wedding date was 22 October 2022, with just over 2,200 weddings.

Around 1,700 male couples and 2,600 female couples married in 2022. Same-gender marriage numbers remained lower than 2018 and 2019, the first two years after changes to the Marriage Act.

Meanwhile, 49,241 couples divorced in 2022, with a rate of 2.4 divorces for every 1,000 people aged 16 years and up.