IN NORTH Yorkshire, the revelation that weddings are on the increase and couples are choosing more unusual places to tie the knot has been greeted with glee.

Official figures have shown that the number of people getting married across the UK has risen for the first time in eight years, and one in six couples now choose venues other than the traditional church or register office.

The news has delighted those behind the effort to make North Yorkshire the country's wedding capital. They say England's largest county was already bucking the trend with a rising marriage rate, even when the rest of the country showed a decline.

A survey by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on population trends has revealed that a quarter of all civil marriages now happen in approved venues, and not at the traditional register office.

It showed that 267,961 marriages were conducted in the UK in 2000, a rise of almost two per cent on the previous year, and the first growth in eight years. But religious ceremonies fell by nearly four per cent over the same period, while civil marriages increased by five per cent.

The survey has come as no surprise in North Yorkshire, where part of the county council's website is devoted to a comprehensive review of the different civil wedding venues available to couples. Hotels account for a large number of the places on the site, though a fair proportion of the North Yorkshire venues can lay claim to being castles or halls - such as Ripley, Allerton and Hazlewood Castles, and Fountains and Newby Halls.

There is even a temple on the list - the Temple of the Four Winds, at Castle Howard.

Stuart Pudney, the head of trading standards and regulatory services, said: "North Yorkshire is the place to get married. We have one of the most impressive ranges of venues in the country, ranging from local pubs and village halls to stately homes and castles.

"Every year thousands of people come to North Yorkshire to get married, which is a reflection on the quality of venues and services which we are able to offer in the county. The marriage figures in North Yorkshire have been rising steadily against a national decline, so we must be doing something right."

The national figures also showed that people are waiting longer to get married, with the average age now standing at 35 for a bridegroom and 32 for a bride.

However, a traditional church wedding remains popular with couples where both parties are marrying for the first time, with just under half choosing a religious wedding.

Only 14 per cent of couples where both parties are remarrying chose a church, the survey showed.

Venues other than register offices and religious establishments were permitted to hold weddings under the 1994 Marriage Act, and now account for 17 per cent of all marriages.

Updated: 12:13 Thursday, March 28, 2002