Wedding Anniversary Years
As we mark the 100th anniversary of Beaverbrooks, we want to celebrate the abundance of love that exists in the UK. We’ve analysed the last 20 years of marriage statistics to find out when the “sweet spot” in a marriage is and the most common dates for celebrating an anniversary.
We also asked loved-up couples for their top tips on how to celebrate their anniversaries.
All data is from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from across England and Wales, for the 20-year period between 1996 and 2016.
What is the Most Common Wedding Anniversary Date?
| Most popular |
|---|
| 30th August |
| 6th September |
| 26th July |
| 2nd August |
| 23rd August |
| 16th August |
| 28th August |
| 9th August |
| 1st August |
| 14th February |
| Least popular |
|---|
| 25th December |
| 26th December |
| 1st January |
| 13th January |
| 29th February |
| 14th January |
| 21st January |
| 7th January |
| 12th January |
| 4th February |
30th August
If you tied the knot on 30th August, you’re in good company! During the 20-year period that our research covered, no fewer than 33,782 couples got married on this date.
’Tisn’t The Season…
At the other end of the scale, Christmas Day and Boxing Day came out as the least popular days to get married, with only 104 and 566 weddings respectively over the last two decades.
Be My Valentine
Amongst all the summer weddings, Valentine’s Day still made it into the top ten with 29,513 marriages.
Just under 3,500 couples chose to get married on 29th February, which means they only get to mark their official anniversary once every four years.
And January is without doubt the least popular month to get married, with seven of the top 10 least popular anniversary dates falling within the first month of the year.
When is the Real ‘Anniversary Season’?
How many marriages over the last 20 years
August
848,851
July
695,494
September
677,342
June
568,256
May
566,964
October
419,468
April
371,094
December
283,266
March
275,899
November
265,692
February
215,849
January
145,942
While summer is clearly still peak wedding season, our research shows that autumn weddings have grown in popularity over the years too. In fact, across our 20-year data period, there were 12% more marriages in September, October and November, compared to March, April, May.
A study by Bridebook.co.uk showed that 47% of weddings are now held on a day other than Saturday, as people continue to look for ways to save money. The growing popularity of weddings towards the end of the year is possibly another example of this.
However, August is still undoubtedly ‘anniversary season’! With nearly 850,000 couples tying the knot during this month, it is a long way ahead of second-placed July (just under 700,000 marriages).
So, why is August such a popular month for anniversaries? We asked Beaverbrooks Lorna Haddon, Head of Diamonds, for her thoughts.
Taking Advantage of the Bank Holiday Weekend
“August 30th is the most popular wedding day overall and this is likely because this date often falls on a Bank Holiday weekend. With this extra time off – making it super-convenient for wedding guests – coupled with the late-summer weather, it’s no surprise that this is peak marriage season.”
The Weather Should Be Favourable
“You absolutely cannot bank on having good weather in the UK at any time of the year, but if you’re going to hedge your bets, August is one of the safer months to tie the knot!”
The School Holidays Fall Kindly
“Weddings are all about family and the fact that children in England are off school for the entirety of August certainly makes it easier to organise your nearest and dearest.”
It’s Traditional (Kind Of!)
“In the 1950s and 60s, it was actually commonplace for couples to get married in March. This was due to a tax rule that benefited married men who had their big day just before the start of the new financial year. This regulation changed in 1968 and August weddings started to become more popular as a result and have been ever since.”
The Sweetest Anniversary of them all?
As part of a survey that we carried out in 2019, we asked couples what they thought was the “marriage sweet spot” – i.e. at what point did they feel happiest in their relationship.
Couples told us that
18 years
is the "sweet spot" for a happy marriage
267,961 couples
got married
18 years ago
They will mark their
Porcelain anniversary
in 2019
How to Celebrate Your Special Milestone
As you can see, there are lots of couples who could be marking a hugely significant anniversary milestone in 2019. It’s no secret that we’re big on romance and sentimental moments here at Beaverbrooks, which is why we love helping you celebrate and cherish big anniversary milestones.
Wedding Anniversary Gifts by Year
Use this handy table to find the traditional wedding anniversary gifts for each year, and then use our Anniversary Gift Guide to find the perfect gift for the love of your life.
How to Celebrate Your Anniversary
As we’ve shown, there are a huge number of people who have cause for celebration this year. We asked Beaverbooks colleagues who have marked poignant milestones to see how they made the occasion feel extra special and memorable.
Linsey Houlton, Sunderland Store
“We celebrated our 9th anniversary day at Edinburgh zoo on April 23rd. We visited the zoo 14 years prior and had great memories and it was wonderful to spend the day there again. Traditionally 9th anniversaries are pottery or willow wood. We had been gifted money from both sets of parents so on the way back we stopped off in Berwick and came across a lovely store that sold bespoke one off furniture pieces not sure on the willow but we fell in love with these wooden draws and used our anniversary money to buy these. So a lovely reminder of a fantastic 9th wonderful anniversary.”
Lynette Woods, eCommerce
“This year my husband, Mark and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, which is traditionally wood. To celebrate we had our wedding picture printed on a slice of wood! It’s extra special too as we are the Woods’. It's a beautiful keepsake that is currently on our mantelpiece and will remind us of our 5-year milestone. Coincidentally, my Mum & Dad got married on 30th August 1975 (the most popular day) and would have been celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary this year. Here they are on their wedding day, in true seventies fashion.”
Kirsty Carter, Telford Store
“My husband Antony and I recently celebrated our 25th Anniversary and decided to renew our wedding vows on Meeru Island in the Maldives in March. We couldn’t afford to take time out for a honeymoon when we married in 1994 but dreamed of going to the Maldives and finally saved up to go in 1998. We fell in love with the island and have visited many times, it’s now a place that has become very special to us over the years.”
Jane & Richard,
Parents of Anna, our Managing Director
“We both love the ocean, so for our 50th wedding anniversary our daughter and son in law hired a beautiful boat for the afternoon. We had champagne and nibbles and enjoyed the beautiful Cornish coastline. The grandkids loved jumping off and we have wonderful memories to cherish. For our anniversary gifts, we decided to go for a series of meals in beach restaurants which is a real treat for us. Our top tip for a happy marriage would be love, laughter, trust and compromise.”
Rebecca Jarvis, Stratford Store
“We were married in May 2017 and have recently celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. I always put a lot of thought into anniversary presents and this year, for our cotton anniversary I bought us both matching ‘His & Hers’ dressing gowns”
Inspiration & Advice
Note – the data we received did not account for separations, so our findings represent the number of couples who could be celebrating something special in 2019.