LOVED-UP couples across the UK appear to be flocking to Oxfordshire to tie the knot as new figures reveal our county is the place to say “I do”.

Latest figures show that marriage across the nation is in decline, with only 262,240 weddings in 2013. This is compared with about 400,000 after the Second World War.

Despite this, the most recent figures available for Oxfordshire provided by the Office of National Statistics shows that our county celebrated 3,627 weddings in 2011 – compared to just 2,390 in 1945. Out of the 3,627 marriages in the county, 2,342 were civil ceremonies and 1,285 were religious.

Superintendent registrar at the Oxford Registration Service Alicja Gilroy believes Oxfordshire is such a popular place to get married because of the diverse range of venues couples can choose from.

Mrs Gilroy said: “Over the past five or six years weddings have been creeping up a bit. We have more than 100 venues for people to choose from, to suit all different budgets.

“We also attract a lot of people from London who want to marry in Oxford and because of our universities, we often have a lot of students coming back to marry.”

Compared to its neighbouring counties, Oxfordshire is one of the only places that has seen such an increase in marriages since 1945.

Those looking to wed in Oxfordshire can tie the knot at Dovecote Barn at Bo Peep Farm near Adderbury, Holiday Inn in Oxford, the River and Rowing Museum in South Oxfordshire, as well as other places – traditional or not.

A popular place to wed is St Aldate’s Church, which has celebrated between 12 and 14 weddings per year for the last five years.

Parish and events manager Naomi Randell said it might seem like a low number for other venues, but for their church it was a number to be proud of.

The 39-year-old said: “As a church we are alive and happening. We are a city centre church so we attract quite a few people through that.

“We are vibrant and lively and have a lot of people. We have that immediate appeal for people and a lot of people get married because they have a connection here.”

Mrs Gilroy, 57, said the Oxford Register Office had conducted 2,491 ceremonies this year – 191 more than the previous year – and also the highest number since 2008.

She added: “Every year we take on more places that want to be licensed and we have to take on more staff.

“We are always careful never to turn away a couple wanting to get married. The most popular time is Saturday at 2pm so we make sure we have enough staff to help with all the weddings.

“We have worked hard and I think that number is something to be very proud of.”

Hertfordshire is the only nearby county that has also seen a rise in marriages . The county had 5,056 couples say “I do” in 2011 and 4,962 in 1945.

DIFFERENT VENUES

Oxford Mail:

  • Big day: Tythe Barn in Launton, near Bicester

* Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford-on-Thames. Alicja Gilroy said: “You can either get married in the big hotel or there is a little boat there. It’s moored up on the Thames and you can have an official ceremony in it.”

* Ardington House, near Wantage: “The house has its own separate island. The bride can walk over a little bridge and then she is on an island, where all her guests are waiting.”

* The Tythe Barn in Launton: “It’s a really lovely barn. The bride can walk through the gardens to arrive there and then she stands in the barn with her groom while the guests sit outside watching.”