Weddings remain a social constant

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 41

Weddings remain a social constant

Throughout New ; Zealand hundreds of couples will currently be in the throes of preparing for an Easter wedding, j ' Some details of difess and transport will in time date : the record of jthe event to T9BB I but jthe basics of thd actual cere-

mony are much as they always were'. The style;' of marriage chosen 6yj?quples is however tending' to expand in choices. | Although the traditional, wedding! ceremony ip a still the option chosen by a great number of couples, one reflection of an increasingly secular society lis •; the growing popularity of non-religious marriage celebrants I for the ceremony. I i Under the Marriage' Act of 1955 j marriage may be solemnised J either by a celebraAt on the list of marriag'e celebrants! or before i a registar ,of marriages. * ■ i! For triose who wish' for a ceremony somewhere betweerj the formality of a church and the civic, service the | results ofi the 1976 Act provided another option. i i This act! extended the rights to solemnise marriages to nominated members of approved organisations of a non-religious character. , j I ' i Marriages carried outiby celebrants tend ,to have a slightly more flexible approach to for'mat and content of' the marriage ceremony.

Whatever the mode <of marriage I chosen! there I is Still a great number |of couples taking marital plunge every The New Zealand Yelari Book reveals that- for the, latest | available ye<ir, (1985), 24,657 marriages took place. j Onej interesting emergent phenomonem is that the average brpde and groom are now oftjen older than was the norm a few years ago. After a! lengthy period whenjthe proportion jof minors jmarrying had been steadily increasing it has now declined slightly. The 1985 statistics provide the followin’ insights into the most popular ages for brides and girooms.' I M \ -\- Brides j tended to pe about! 21 j at the| time lof marriage, grooms slightly older at 23. The average age varied with these preferred ages. Bachelors ceased to ibe bachelors at age 26, spinsters at 24. 'As > all coup les are aware however, marriage is an institution where averages § are overtaken by individuality. I