The most romantic town in England and Wales: Clitheroe tops table of only six areas that's seen rise in number of people getting married in last 50 years

A rural town in England has become the centre of a wedding frenzy as it tops the table of areas that have seen a rise in the number of people getting married.

The market town of Clitheroe, in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, was one of only six local authority areas that saw an increase in marriage over the past 50 years up to the census of 2011.  

A report by the Office for National Statistics, published last week, identifies the town as having the sharpest increase across the country. 

The rural town of Clitheroe, Lancashire, has become the centre of a wedding frenzy as couples flock there to tie the knot

According to data, the proportion of people married was lower in 2011 in almost every local area of England and Wales than 50 years previously. 

In Clitheroe, the proportion of people married at each census had gone up 8 percentage points, and in Blackburn rural district, marriage was up 4 percentage points.

And now Clitheroe's marketing managers have called the area 'Ribble Valley wedding heaven', according to The Sunday Times. 

In one bridal boutique, owner Liz Metcalfe has 162 wedding dresses stored as brides-to-be wait for their big day after months of delays.       

In Clitheroe, the proportion of people married at each census had gone up 8 percentage points and was only one of six areas that saw an increase over the past 50 years

The town, which has 17,000 residents, has seen couples flock to the venues, with some saying their diaries are already filling up for 2022 and 2023

Covid-19 lockdowns and constantly shifting restrictions caused chaos for countless couples attempting their nuptials over the past 18 months.   

But it is not just Clitheroe's scenic countryside that makes it a hit with couples, as Liz thinks it is the area's variety of venues crammed into the town.    

While the area, which has 17,000 residents, boasts 20 venues for people to choose from, all offering something different to cater to all tastes. 

Local florist Jim Hardman, who runs a shop with his wife Linda, have been swamped with orders since restrictions have eased, and provided flowers for three weddings on Thursday alone.  

Clitheroe boasts 20 wedding venues for people to choose from, all offering something different to cater to all tastes

Simon Barnes, the owner of a weddings-only venue Bashall Barn, said they have been 'extraordinarily busy'.   

He added their diary is already filling up for 2022 and 2023, and they even took their first booking for 2024.   

A few weddings went ahead in lockdown with only six or 15 guests as rules changed during the country's lockdowns, with many people delaying their nuptials.  

Laura Duggleby, a wedding photographer, said: 'A lot of my clients didn’t want a micro-wedding, and now they’re part of the backlog.'  

This comes after the number of religious weddings hit a record low amid a general fall in the number of couples getting married, new figures reveal today.

Ceremonies taking place in churches and other faith sites now account for little over one one in five nuptials, the Office for National Statistics said.

But civil ceremonies also fell 1 per cent in 2018, according to new figures released today that do not cover the period when weddings were effectively banned over he past 18 months. 

Overall there were 234,795 marriages in England and Wales in 2018; a decrease of 3.3 per cent compared with 2017 and the lowest since 2009, when the Financial Crisis was in full swing.

Around one fifth (21.1 per cent) of heterosexual marriages in 2018 were religious ceremonies. This compares to 84.7 per cent of all marriages in 1900 and 50.4 per cent as recently as 1980.