The number of people getting married fell in 2013, possibly because some couples postponed their nuptials until a year with a less inauspicious number, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There were 240,854 marriages in England and Wales, a drop of 8.6% compared with 2012 and the first fall since 2009, according to data published on Wednesday.
Elizabeth McLaren, an ONS statistician, said: “The fall could be due to couples choosing to postpone their marriage to avoid the number 13, which is perceived as unlucky by many cultures.”
She added: “When you have the freedom to choose, there are probably certain dates you might avoid, like Friday 13th.”
An ONS spokesman said its supposition was based on reports in the media of wedding planners saying couples were avoiding getting married in 2013 due to superstition.
McLaren said the fall in 2013 could also indicate the continuation of a long-term decline in marriages since 1972, although that trend went into reverse between 2009 and 2012.
The ONS suggested that the economic downturn of 2008-09 may have delayed marriages due to “financial constraints, changes in employment and related lifestyle changes.”
The figures also show that people are getting married later in life, with grooms having a mean age of 36.7 and brides an average of 34.3.
In the decade since 2003 there has been a 33% increase in the marriage rate for women aged 65 and over, bucking the overall trend of decline. The marriage rate for men aged 65 and over has risen by just 2% over the same period.
