More couples say 'I do' in civil ceremonies than Catholic Church weddings for first time
The CSO figures also reveal that brides and grooms are getting older.
Love is all around us, as the song goes, but with Covid-19 also in the air, the number of couples opting to tie the knot last year more than halved compared to the year prior.
Just over 9,523 couples walked down the aisle last year, compared to 20,313 in 2019, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
The past year has also seen a shift in where that aisle is, with the number of opposite-sex couples choosing a civil ceremony outnumbering those that chose a traditional Catholic church wedding for the first time in 2020.
Just 35.8% of opposite-sex couples in Ireland opted for a Catholic ceremony last year, compared to 41% who chose a civil ceremony.
However, religious ceremonies still accounted for half of all marriages last year.
The impact of Covid-19 was also seen in the most-popular months for a ceremony last year.
Unsurprisingly, April was the least favoured month to tie the knot for couples last year.
For opposite-sex couples, December, was the most popular month to say 'I do' last year, while most same-sex couples said their vows in February.
New Year's Eve was the most popular date for opposite-sex marriages in 2020 with 213 marriages taking place on that day, while Friday 21 of February was the most popular date for same-sex marriages last year, with eight marriages occurring on this day.
Over 300 same-sex couples tied the knot last year, of which 170 were male unions and 144 were female unions.
Close to half of all same-sex marriage ceremonies took place in the Dublin City area, Cork City was the next most popular option for same-sex couples, accounting for 6.1% of all ceremonies.
The CSO figures also reveal that brides and grooms are getting older.
The groom was older than the bride in almost two-thirds of opposite-sex marriages, with 37.8 years the average age of Irish grooms last year compared to 35.7 years old for brides.
The average age of both male and female couples in same-sex marriages last year was 40.
Waterford City had the highest average age for both grooms and brides at 40.4 and 37.7 years respectively.
The Etta James classic may prove a popular pick for first dances this summer, with the Government's easing of restrictions yesterday likely to convince couples who may have previously postponed their big day to go ahead from May 10.
From that date, a maximum of 50 guests can attend a wedding service with six people indoors or 15 people outdoors allowed attend the reception.
The maximum number of guests allowed attend a wedding reception will increase to 25 on June 7, subject to public health advice.
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