Press release

Four weddings, (births) and A funeral on Valentine's Day

Around 800 romantic couples are expected to tie the knot in England and Wales this Valentine's Day.

From:
Home Office
Published
14 February 2011
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

New figures released today by the General Register Office show that approximately 800 couples choose 14 February for their big day each year.

Unfortunately for the superstitious, the figures include unlucky in love celebrity couples Kerry Katona and Mark Croft (2007) and Elton John and Renate Blauel (1984).

However, for the romantics Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton will have been happily married for three years this year.

The General Register Office records also show that there are around 1,750 Valentines babies born each year. Famous UK births include the economist Thomas Malthus (1776), former footballer Kevin Keegan (1955) and actors Sally Gray (1916) and Simon Pegg (1970).

Quote from Registrar General

Registrar General for England and Wales Sarah Rapson said: ‘The General Register Office exists to help record the events that matter most in life, like the birth of a baby, a marriage or civil partnership.

‘Congratulations to the 800 couples who are celebrating their weddings and civil partnerships today!’

All budding romantics can also take solace in the Protections of Freedoms Bill announced recently. This Bill proposes to remove arcane restrictions on the time that marriages can take place, allowing them to happen at a time that is convenient and not just between 8am and 6 pm.

Notes to editors

  1. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, providing passports for British citizens and passport validation services. 

  2. The General Register Office (GRO) became part of IPS on 1 April 2008. GRO oversees the system of civil registration, including births, stillbirths, adoptions, civil partnerships, marriages and deaths, in England and Wales.  

  3. The most famous funeral that happened on this day was St. Valentine himself who was executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II on 14 February around the year 270AD, giving the day its name.

  4. All figures have been supplied by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and collected by the General Register Office for England and Wales. 

  5. For media enquiries relating to GRO and life event registration, please contact the Home Office Newsdesk on 020 7035 3535. 

For further information see www.directgov.uk

Published 14 February 2011