After 40 years of decline, marriage is finally back in fashion again with a recent report revealing a 3.7% increase in couples tying the knot.
Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveal that there were 8,657 more weddings last year than in 2009, the year that had the lowest number of weddings since the Victorian age.
The popularity of marriage started to wane following the liberal divorce law, which came into action in 1972, which made it possible for couples to end their marriage and divorce within six months.
Before this law came into place, around 400,000 weddings took place in England and Wales each year.
In 2010, 241,100 couples walked down the aisle in England and Wales. Church of England weddings increased by 4%, whereas Christian and religious ceremonies dipped in popularity by 1 to 3.4%.
Researchers believe this could be due to the majority of couples choosing civil weddings held in stately homes, castles and hotels after many of these venues were granted wedding licenses in 1995.
Civil ceremonies clocked up 124,570 weddings in 2010, an increase of 12% in a year. Civil weddings are three times more popular than register office weddings.
A spokesperson from the ONS said that the reasons behind the resurgence of weddings could be down to the tough economic climate, which has made people want to “seek stability” and view family life as more valuable than material goods.
It also follows the Prime Minister, David Cameron’s declaration of giving tax breaks to married couples.
“It is not possible to determine at this stage whether the rise in the provisional number of marriages in 2010 signifies an end to the long-term decline of marriages or whether such increases will continue,” an ONS spokesperson said in a statement.
Only yesterday, a 'happiness' survey revealed that married couples have the highest level of happiness compared to their single counterparts.
Although the number of marriages are on the rise, these celebrity couples have decided to call it quits. Find out what happened, and what we can learn from their break-ups.
High Profile Divorces
Celebrity Divorces: What We Can Learn From Them(01 of08)
Open Image ModalCustody Of Children: Heidi Klum & Seal(02 of08)
Open Image Modal"A UK court would regard this seven year marriage as being relatively short-lived and this would inform their conclusions regarding the division of marital assets," explains Amanda. "However, it has been suggested Heidi will file for divorce in California which is a community property state, meaning property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in the state is community property. Therefore the court will divide the community estate of the parties equally."The couple have children together, so there will be maintenance to be considered. Californian law states that both parents of a minor child have an equal responsibility to support their child in the manner suitable to the child's circumstances. It's known that Heidi's career has been in the ascendency during the period of the marriage - reputably earning $12M last year - and thus she may be vulnerable financially."California recognises the legal validity of prenuptial agreements however so if the couple drew up such an agreement then things might be very different." (credit:Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Short Marriage: Kim Kardashian (03 of08)
Open Image ModalAfter being married a total of 72 days, reality TV star Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from her new husband, Kris Humphries."This marriage took place under American family law and are therefore different to English family law, where the couple must be married for a minimum of one year before either side can petition for divorce. "Under English family law, Kim Kardashian could consider pursuing an annulment of the marriage, perhaps on the grounds of wilful non-consummation or one party not giving valid consent to a marriage because such consent was given under duress." (credit:Getty)
No Prenup: Katy Perry (04 of08)
Open Image ModalThis is a very short marriage - around 14 months. It's known that Russell Brand filed for divorce in California but it is not known if the couple drew up a prenup. "However, many divorcing couples are influenced by factors other than financial considerations and a divorce lawyer must be sensitive to this when giving advice. Having myself recently returned from a holiday in America where Katy Perry is enormously popular, I imagine his lawyer may well be tempted to counsel him to proceed with caution regarding their joint assets." (credit:Ian West/PA Wire)
Custody Of Children: Madonna(05 of08)
Open Image ModalCheating: Tiger Woods(06 of08)
Open Image ModalAfter the golfer's shameful cheating past was revealed, his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren decided to divorce him under unreasonable grounds - as well as walking away with a rumoured $750 settlement."If one half a couple is unfaithful, a divorce can be sought on the grounds of adultery or unreasonable behaviour," says Amanda."The problem with the former is establishing proof that adultery has taken place. If, for example, Elin had said her husband had committed adultery with another woman in a particular hotel room, he could respond that yes, he was with the woman in the hotel room but sex did not take place. "In the absence of irrefutable proof - a baby, for example, or photographic evidence - Elin might then have chosen to divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour but include the alleged liaison in the body of her petition as she would then not be required to prove the act. Finances are unrelated to divorce petitions citing adultery as the cause of the marital breakdown. "However, it has been argued successfully in some divorce cases that adulterous behaviour has lead to a decline in the fortunes in the marital pot of money, so to speak, leading to a different division of assets." (credit:Getty)
Custody Of Pets: Cheryl Cole(07 of08)
Open Image ModalWhen Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole divorced her footballer husband Ashley Cole, it wasn't their multimillion pound Surrey home or flash cars that Cheryl wanted - but their shared Chihuahuas. Cheryl got full custody of their dogs Coco and Buster."There is no law or legal guidance that deals with pets, although as an issue it comes up a lot," explains Amanda."Essentially, if one half of the couple desperately wants to keep the family cat and the other half refuses to give the cat up, then in all probability there will have to be a trade-off in some other area of the divorce." (credit:Getty)
Division Of The Assets: Roman Abramovich (08 of08)
Open Image ModalWhen Billionaire Roman divorced his long-time wife Irina, he had to pay her $300 million in assets, plus his various homes and monetary assets."Firstly, be absolutely up front about disclosure. Hiding assets or lying about income simply drags out the process. Secondly, consider trying mediation or collaboration. Most importantly, go into negotiations with the attitude that the division of assets must be fair. "Unfortunately, not many couples do so," says Amanda. (credit:Getty)