How common is your wedding day? Interactive chart reveals popular days (2024)

From weather preferences to venue availability, many factors can influence what day we choose to get married.

But if you're still to pick a wedding day, a fascinating new chart may help you make your decision.

Based on datafrom the Office for National Statistics, the chart reveals the average number of marriages per day in England and Wales.

The most popular days (with over 1,500 weddings on average) are shown in dark red, while the least popular days (less than 100) are in dark blue.

So, how common is your wedding day?

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The chart shows the average amount of weddings on each day of the year in England and Wales during a 20-year period, from 1999 to 2019.

Figures include same-sex marriages from March 2014, when theSame Sex Couples Act came into effect.

September 1 is the most popular day to tie the knot – with an average of 1,552 marriages on this day during the 20-year period.

If you had your wedding on this day, you share your anniversary with some famous faces including Stevie Wonder, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seth Meyers and Whoopi Goldberg.

The second most popular is August 25 with an average of 1,543 marriages during the 20-year period, followed by July 28 (1,481 weddings), August 18 (1,478) and August 4 (1,477).

British behavioural scientist Patrick fa*gan pointed out that generally the most popular days for weddings are late summer.

'I imagine it's mostly people wanting to have their wedding when the weather is nice and warm but not too hot,' Mr fa*gan told MailOnline.

US comedianSeth Meyers marriedhuman rights attorney Alexi Ashe (pictured) on September 1, 2013

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'I'm not sure why August 11 and 18 don't fit the pattern as much – although I can see they're still quite popular so that could just be noise in the data.'

Mr fa*gan himself got married on September 4 – a fairly popular day with just under 1,300 marriages – because it had special significance to him and his wife.

Ivo Vlaev, a professor of behavioural science at the University of Warwick, agreed that weather and seasonality play a part.

'August and September are popular due to favourable weather, making outdoor ceremonies and receptions more pleasant,' Professor Vlaev told MailOnline.

'Couples prefer dates with less weather uncertainty (summer) to avoid the potential "loss" of a rainy wedding day, which can be a significant emotional and financial setback.

Musician Stevie Wonder married fashion designer Kai Millard on September 1, 2001 - but filed for divorce 11 years later

US actress Whoopi Goldberg and Dutch cinematographer David Claessen (pictured) got married on September 1, 1986

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'Late July and August also coincide with school holidays, allowing families with children to attend more easily.'

Unsurprisingly, the data shows that Christmas Day is the least popular day to get married, with just five couples on average getting hitched on December 25.

Second-least popular is Boxing Day (23 weddings), followed by New Year's Day (38 weddings) – presumably because engaged couples know loved ones will be celebrating or still recovering from festive indulgences.

'It's no surprises Christmas is least popular likely due to high travel costs, family commitments, and cold weather,' said ProfessorVlaev, who is engaged but yet to pick his wedding date.

Other unpopular choices are January 13 (134 marriages), January 11 (172), January 18 (182), January 17 (192) and January 14 (208).

February is also generally avoided, although there is one notable outlier that month that won't be a shock.

From weather preferences to venue availability, many factors can influence what day we choose to get married (stock image)

'It's fun to see Valentine's Day breaking the trend and being popular in winter, but not really surprising why,' said Mr fa*gan.

Aside from practical reasons, choosing personally significant dates – such as the same day a couple first met – may be important.

Memorable numbers (e.g. the first of the month) may also help prevent husbands or wives forgetting their wedding anniversary in the years to come.

'Some dates may have cultural or personal significance, contributing to their popularity,' ProfessorVlaev added.

What's more, couples may even choose dates that are popular within their social circles – as seeing friends or family getting married during these months can influence their decision.

Divorces outnumbered marriages for the first time in 2020 after the government banned ceremonies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Divorcesoutnumbered marriages for the first time ever during lockdown, it has been revealed.

New figures show that just 85,770 couples tied the knot in 2020 after the Government banned wedding ceremonies for much of the year.

It represented a record 61 per cent drop on the 219,850 marriages across England and Wales in 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Between the end of March and start of July, when the most stringent stay at home order was in place, just 264 marriages took place - compared with 71,883 the previous year.

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How common is your wedding day? Interactive chart reveals popular days (2024)

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