Covid cut 2020 US wedding numbers to lowest

WASHINGTON: The Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on weddings in the United States, with only some 1.6 million marriages occurring in 2020 -- the lowest number since 1963, figures show.

With many couples forced to postpone their nuptials, the number of unions in 2020 fell nearly 17 percent from the previous year, when some two million took place, the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) said.

But fear not, romantics -- the dip should be followed by an explosion in people walking down the aisle, with nearly 2.5 million ceremonies expected this year, according to The Wedding Report, a group specializing in marriage statistics.

Both fears of Covid-19 transmission and restrictions on gatherings curbed weddings in 2020. As a result, the marriage rate fell to 5.1 per 1,000 people -- down from 6.1 the previous year, NCHS said. Overall, 46 states and the nation’s capital saw a drop in marriages in 2020, with the biggest declines occurring in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, New York and Louisiana.