New data from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office, analysing wedding data from between 2011 and 2024, has identified the most popular dates and months for couples to marry.
The most popular date for Irish weddings was 31 December, with an average of 189 weddings recorded over the 14-year period. Other highly popular dates included 30 December (151 weddings), 28 December (147), and 29 December (136).
Interestingly, despite the traditional association with June weddings, no June dates ranked in the top ten. Instead, dates in December and August dominated.
Popular dates during the summer included early August dates around the bank holiday weekend, including 3 August (115), 4 August (110), and 5 August (109). Only a few June and September dates reached an average of 100 or more weddings.
Winter weddings
‘While the summer months, on average, typically have more weddings, it might be surprising to know that certain dates in winter proved the most popular choice for couples tying the knot in Ireland,’ the CSO noted. ‘In fact, dates in December claimed four of the top five places.
‘Those festive downtime days between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and dates around the August Bank Holiday weekend seemed to play a significant part for lovestruck couples with an eye on the practical when it came to choosing their big day.’
While December was a popular month for weddings, it also saw the least popular days, including Christmas Eve (4 weddings), St Stephen’s Day (3 weddings), and Christmas Day (0 weddings).
Popular months
In terms of the most popular month, August came out on top, with 2,733 weddings on average, followed by July (2,446), September (2,333), June (2,073), and October (1,855).
The winter months of January (612) and February (803) were least popular, although Valentine’s Day (14 February) saw 55 weddings.
Regarding weekdays, meanwhile, Friday was the most popular day, while Tuesday was the least popular.
The average age of brides and grooms in 2024 was 35.9 and 37.7 years, respectively, with 20,348 marriages recorded, including 668 same-sex marriages. Read more here.
