Couples flock to tie knot on 10/10/10

Romantic couples across Shropshire are flocking to tie the knot tomorrow on what will be the hottest wedding date of the year - 10/10/10.

Churches and register offices have reported a surge in numbers of brides and grooms booking the memorable date for their big day.

The trend is reflected around the country as more than 31,000 couples queue up to get hitched on the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year.

Telford & Wrekin Register Office said it had received increased interest from people wanting to get married and said the memorable date meant it would be harder for couples to forget their wedding anniversaries.

Russell Griffin, a spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Every year when there is a repeated date such as 10/10/10 you see the amount of ceremonies rise, and this was particularly the case with 06/06/06.

"On Sunday there are three ceremonies at various hotels and approved venues in the Telford & Wrekin area, which is a bigger number than for an average Sunday, but we feel that it would have been a higher number if the date had not fallen on a Sunday, because it's more expensive to get married."

Shropshire Register Office said it had five weddings booked for tomorrow, compared with six for 09/09/09.

Weddings venues around the county have noticed a rise in interest from couples interested in getting married tomorrow. Rowton Castle, near Shrewsbury, sold the date months ago.

Caroline Lee, wedding co-ordinator at the historic venue, said: "It is a significant date and a lot of people like to get married on a significant date. Next year it's 11/11/11 and that date has sold already."

But some county venues appear to be bucking the trend, with no weddings booked at all.

Mark Ireland, vicar of All Saints' Church in Wellington, said: "We have had a good many weddings this year and we have got a lot of interest for weddings next year but nobody is getting married here on Sunday."

Hayley Blower, weddings manager at the Park House Hotel in Shifnal, said: "We often have weddings on Sundays and the hotel is booked up, but not for weddings."

Nationally, register offices and churches have been booked up for months. At Gretna Green, Scotland's famous wedding capital, a total of 38 weddings are due to take place compared to the average 10 for a typical Sunday in October.

* Are you getting married tomorrow? E-mail your pictures and details to newsroom@shropshirestar.co.uk