Christmas Weddings

18 December 2008

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As TV soaps gear up for rush of festive weddings, experts at Ecclesiastical available to discuss the perils of getting married at Christmas.

As the festive season looms large, Britain's soap operas are preparing for their annual glut of Christmas and New Year weddings. This year, Coronation Street's Tyrone Dobbs is due to marry Molly Compton; EastEnder's Janine is marrying wealthy Harry, and in Emmerdale, Matthew and Anna are due to walk up the aisle together. But will all this matrimony bring happiness to those concerned? Probably not.

According to research conducted by Ecclesiastical this year, 13% of weddings in TV soap operas take place between Christmas and New Year. This compares with just 7% of weddings in the real world taking place during the whole of December and January.

Ecclesiastical's research also shows that 23% of TV soap weddings are called off before the ceremony can be completed.

The divorce rate for TV soaps is 39%. The closest comparison for real life would be 6%-10%.

Darren Mabley-Jones of Ecclesiastical commented: "The TV soaps are very keen on festive matrimony - much more so than the real world - but they also present a pretty grim view. The reality is that the chances of calling off your wedding are far lower; and indeed the chances that you'll stay together are much higher.

"Christmas and New Year certainly have their risks as far as weddings are concerned, and these tend to be related to bad weather conditions and things such as burst pipes in venues. Alcohol can also be a factor if things go wrong."

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