Scots catch royal wedding fever

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tied the knot at the end of April in a ceremony that gripped the nation, with Sir Elton John, David Beckham and First Minister Alex Salmond among the guests.

And official figures released yesterday show there were 8,641 weddings held in Scotland between April and June – a seven-year high and up 351 on the same period last year.

It continues the recent recovery in marriage figures, after a steady fall since the middle of the previous decade.

The Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Church of Scotland’s church and society council, said: “I’ve thought for a while now that the figures were rising.

“I doubt that there’s one reason why that’s happening, but I do think that people are looking for things that they can rely on, and in a time of uncertainty and difficulty more people are looking for something reassuring that they can hold on to. I suspect that’s part of the reason behind that increase.

“The long-term statistics also suggest that marriages last longer than co-habiting relationships and that many people who are married enjoy that state of being married, and if more people are going to enjoy that, then I hope that’s a good thing.”

Asked if he felt the Royal Wedding was a factor in the increase, he added: “It may be that some individuals have been caught up in the atmosphere surrounding that, but I hope that it’s people working through what they need in their own relationship and recognising that outward sign of commitment is important not just for the two individuals concerned, but for the whole of society.”

The number of marriages over the year to June reached 28,829, up by almost 1,000 from the 27,876 in the 12 months before.

An increase in the number of civil partnerships was also recorded, reaching 134 from 127 in the same period previously.

Marriage levels in Scotland reached a high of 32,154 in 2004, but fell back gradually since then to just 27,524 in 2009, with the impact of the economic recession believed have taken a toll on couples’ plans.

But last year the figures increased to 28,480, an annual jump of almost 1,000, and this looks set to increase again in this year.

The figures emerged in the official register of births, deaths and marriages from the Registrar General for Scotland.

They showed a slight fall in the number of births by 37 in the second quarter of the year to 14,705, compared with the same period in 2010. Birthrates have been on the increase in Scotland in recent years. They reached a peak of 60,041 in 2008 after having fallen back to just 51,270 six years previously. But the number of births dropped slightly again over the past couple of years.

The number of stillbirths has increased in the first half of the year to 169, compared with 145 over the same period in the previous year. Registrar General George MacKenzie, said: “The figures show that the number of deaths in the second quarter of 2011 was slightly higher than in the same period last year, whilst the number of births in quarter two has fallen for the third consecutive year. The number of marriages is at the highest level, for the April-June period, since 2004.”

There has also been an increase in the number of deaths, with 12,969 Scots passing away in the second quarter of this year, compared with 12,812 last year.

The number of deaths has also been falling away steadily. This spiked in 2003 when 58,472 died, before falling back to 53,856 two years ago, since when it has plateaued.

The figures also show deaths from cancer and coronary heart disease rose by 0.4 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively. Deaths from stroke fell by 0.5 per cent.