CUSTOMS IN WEDDINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20426, 30 November 1929, Page 3 (Supplement)

CUSTOMS IN WEDDINGS.

REGISTRY OFFICE KNOTS.

HONEYMOON HABIT DECLINING*

People have flocked to registry offices in Britain for their weddings to the extent! of nearly half the total number of marriages solemnised .this year, according to figures obtained by a Sunday Express representative recently.

Many present-day brides no longer bother about the wedding dresses they will wear, or of the bridesmaids who will accompany them to the altar. Even tha honeymoon habit is fast dyinf;,. and tha majority of newly-married people seem to prefer to take a day off from businesi and " postpone the honeymoon indefi. nitely." This changed outlook on raar« riage is now more marked than ever.

Wedding ceremonies in the,churches of the populous districts of Lambeth, for instance, only exceeded the civil ceremonies in June by 372, no fewer than 1467 couples out of a total of 3306 preferring a registry office wedding. The growth of the registry office habit is well illustrated by the following figures compiled at Somerset House; — Year. Church of England. Civil Marriasefc 1893 .. 177.896 39.403 1904 .. 165,519 46,237 11509 159,991 53,505 1914 .. 171,700 70.580 1919 «. 220,557 85.330 1924 ; . 161,982 70,604

The decline in church wedding ceremonies, which began at the close of th« last century, was given tremendous impetus during the war years, while tSf" lower figures for 1924 are accounted foi; by the general drop in marriages. One explanation was offered by thftEeVi Hugh 11. M< Bevan, vicar of St. Paul's* Hammersmith, who said:—" There are aa incredible number of people to "whom th» marriage service is so much Greek, and for these the registry office performs a useful service. The marriage service is beautiful, and I wijl not have it gabbled through at express speed. Ido not want' to conduct it for the benefit of people who do not appreciate its meaning and beauty. It is better that such people should go before a registrar, and so avoid embarrassment on both sides." The Eev. " Pat " McCormick, vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, said" The increase in registry office weddings is, I think, partly due to the dearth of churches in populous areas. " I am afraid, also, that many young people to-day are brought up with little knowledge of the value of religion, and there may be a natural shyness at the publicity which a church wedding so oftsn

brings."