Almost one in five weddings now takes place abroad, according to the latest statistics from Mintel.
The market research organisation reports 18% of weddings are conducted overseas, with the number of people getting married abroad rising 27% in five years, up from 45,000 in 2005 to just over 57,000 in 2010.
The rise in the overseas market comes as the number of weddings taking place in the UK continues to fall.
An estimated 266,000 UK weddings took place in 2010, marking a 7% drop over the five years since 2005.
Cost is one of the main factors in choosing to tie the knot overseas.
In 2010, the average wedding abroad cost £6,585, compared with £20,000 for the average UK wedding.
And, while the average cost of weddings abroad has risen (by 9.8% since 2005), in the UK overall costs appear to have fallen slightly as a result of the recession.
Mintel’s research also found the percentage of consumers stating that they prefer UK weddings has fallen significantly in the last two years.
The number of consumers saying that they would rather get married or attend a wedding at home has fallen from approximately three in ten (28%) in 2008 to just two in ten (21%) in 2010.
The number of people opposed to getting married abroad has also fallen, with 9% saying they would not like to get married abroad or attend a wedding abroad, down from 11% two years ago.
Money is also becoming less of an issue here, as 7% agree a wedding abroad, or attending such an event, is too expensive, down from 10% in 2005.
The market for overseas weddings looks healthy, with 31% saying they will marry, remarry or renew their vows in the future.
Of those, 37% say they would like to get married abroad or attend a wedding abroad, compared to 28% who would prefer a UK wedding.
Fewer than one in ten (8%) are worried that it would upset too many people if they got married overseas.
The desire to honeymoon abroad has risen significantly in the last two years – from 57% in 2008 to 70% in 2010 – while just 3% would like to honeymoon in the UK.
However, one area in which attitudes seem to be shifting is what people are looking to do on their honeymoon.
The proportion saying they want to ‘just relax’ has fallen from 34% in 2008 to 28% in 2010, while around one in eight (13%) would like to do ‘something out of the ordinary’ while on honeymoon.
Tom Rees, senior travel and tourism analyst at Mintel, said: ‘The lower costs of overseas weddings are an important factor for many, with cost concerns influencing the whole market.
‘However the various desires to do something different, seek out better weather than can be expected in the UK and to avoid overblown, too-many-guest affairs are attracting more and more couples to the weddings abroad market.’
The rise in the overseas market comes as the number of weddings taking place in the UK continues to fall.
An estimated 266,000 UK weddings took place in 2010, marking a 7% drop over the five years since 2005.
Cost is one of the main factors in choosing to tie the knot overseas.
In 2010, the average wedding abroad cost £6,585, compared with £20,000 for the average UK wedding.
And, while the average cost of weddings abroad has risen (by 9.8% since 2005), in the UK overall costs appear to have fallen slightly as a result of the recession.
Mintel’s research also found the percentage of consumers stating that they prefer UK weddings has fallen significantly in the last two years.
The number of consumers saying that they would rather get married or attend a wedding at home has fallen from approximately three in ten (28%) in 2008 to just two in ten (21%) in 2010.
The number of people opposed to getting married abroad has also fallen, with 9% saying they would not like to get married abroad or attend a wedding abroad, down from 11% two years ago.
Money is also becoming less of an issue here, as 7% agree a wedding abroad, or attending such an event, is too expensive, down from 10% in 2005.
The market for overseas weddings looks healthy, with 31% saying they will marry, remarry or renew their vows in the future.
Of those, 37% say they would like to get married abroad or attend a wedding abroad, compared to 28% who would prefer a UK wedding.
Fewer than one in ten (8%) are worried that it would upset too many people if they got married overseas.
The desire to honeymoon abroad has risen significantly in the last two years – from 57% in 2008 to 70% in 2010 – while just 3% would like to honeymoon in the UK.
However, one area in which attitudes seem to be shifting is what people are looking to do on their honeymoon.
The proportion saying they want to ‘just relax’ has fallen from 34% in 2008 to 28% in 2010, while around one in eight (13%) would like to do ‘something out of the ordinary’ while on honeymoon.
Tom Rees, senior travel and tourism analyst at Mintel, said: ‘The lower costs of overseas weddings are an important factor for many, with cost concerns influencing the whole market.
‘However the various desires to do something different, seek out better weather than can be expected in the UK and to avoid overblown, too-many-guest affairs are attracting more and more couples to the weddings abroad market.’
