Why more people are saying 'I do' to a church wedding

The question of where to have your wedding used to be simple, but over 18 years it has resulted in a wide variety of answers. In 1994, theMarriage Act changed the wedding market forever, granting licences for civil marriages to venues as disparate as Manchester United's Old Trafford football stadium, Blenheim Palace and the London Eye. It opened up choice for couples who previously would have had to opt for either a church or register office ceremony.
Even those who may have preferred a church ceremony sometimes found it tricky. You could only be married in your own parish and, with so many couples already living together some distance from where they grew up, the chances of being allowed to go "home" to marry in the church where your parents or grandparents wed were slim to say the least. Regular church attendance was often carefully monitored, too – some vicars would stipulate that you had to attend services for two weeks out of every four – and for some couples it was simply all too complicated.
The result was that fewer and fewer couples decided to marry in church, choosing instead to exchange vows in a stately home, or a smart hotel. They could say "I do" and then smoothly move on to the reception in the next room. Over the years, more and more venues have become licensed, offering an often confusing choice for brides- and grooms-to-be. And the trend seemed set to continue, until now that is.
In difficult times – and this ongoing recession definitely qualifies – people often feel reassured by traditional institutions. It's comforting to know that the church is still there when you need it, even if you haven't always been there. Life's important landmarks – weddings, christenings and funerals – somehow seem much more significant when celebrated in church.