Yearning for marriage: more and more couples want to get married
On the brink of 2025, marriage confirms itself as a timeless institution, which is showing a growing trend in our country. The 2024 figures revealed an increase in the number of marriages, with an increase in mixed marriages, weddings between foreign nationals and tourism related to such events. Although the average age of married couples is around 34 for men and 32 for women, the yearning for marriage seems to be spreading also among the younger generations. According to the ISTAT 2023 survey, 72.5% of teenagers identify marriage as ‘the most popular way to form a family’.
2024: the golden year of marriages
Despite the fluctuating trend of the last decade, 2024 has proved to be a particularly happy year for the wedding industry. According to the ranking compiled by matrimonio.com, the city with the most weddings is Naples, followed by Rome and Milan. Regionally, Lombardy, Lazio and Sicily stood out. The most popular months are September, June and July, while the preferred day is Saturday. However, new couples also show an inclination towards weekdays: among the dates with the most reservations emerges a Monday, more precisely 23 September.
According to the study carried out by O.N.F. – Osservatorio Nazionale Federconsumatori, the total cost of a traditional wedding with 100 guests has increased by 4% since 2023. Among the strategies to offset the expense, in addition to midweek weddings or weddings celebrated in the low season, is to go for the eco-friendly wedding (made with natural fabrics and sustainable materials) or the intimate wedding. It is no coincidence that the most successful are the green locations, which are ideal for eco-sustainable events and allow alternative solutions for the reception, such as the buffet or the hearty aperitif. If the budget imposes limits, indeed, imagination has none!
Wedding tourism figures
Italy remains at the top of the charts even for foreign couples who decide to get married across the border. Among the preferred destinations are Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio, with their captivating landscapes and territories rich in history.
Overall, it is estimated that more than 13,600 marriages of foreign couples were celebrated in our country in 2023 (+22.3% compared to the previous year). The sector saw an increase in couples from the United States, Australia, Canada, India, China and Mexico. Wedding-related tourist arrivals reached almost 2.4 million overnight stays, recording an increase in the average number of participants at events (60.7).
Mixed and intercultural weddings
According to Eurispes data, there has been a steady increase in the number of intercultural families in Italy since 2000, thanks to the growing scale of the migration phenomenon. This is a sign that ours is on its way to becoming a multi-ethnic reality, with a tendency towards rootedness and integration.
In 2022, mixed marriages accounted for 15% of the total (+21% compared to 2021). There has also been an increase in what Mara Tognetti Bordogna (2008) called ‘mixed mixed’ couples, i.e. composed of people with different nationalities from each other and from their country of residence.
Yearning for marriage: a location in the heart of Italy, a thousand solutions
Thanks to the flexibility of its indoor and outdoor spaces, the Antiche Scuderie Odescalchi offers infinite solutions to those who choose the ‘Belpaese’ to celebrate their wedding. The elegant rooms with fireplaces and the vast green areas are perfect for weddings with many guests, as well as intimate and cosy events, according to the couple’s budget and needs. The possibility of getting married even in the cold season and on midweek days, when the location is always granted on an exclusive basis, allows the bride and groom to take advantage of considerable organisational and economic advantages, without having to give up an evocative wedding with every comfort.
The historic residence, set on the shores of Lake Bracciano and located just a few kilometres from Rome, is the ideal choice to welcome guests from other regions or abroad, for whom we can arrange shuttle buses and book accommodation at one of the area’s comfortable facilities. The possibility of celebrating the authentic civil ceremony on site allows the bride and groom to plan the wedding more easily and the guests to enjoy the event to the utmost, without having to move for the reception, which, in addition to the classic wedding banquet, can include unusual formulas such as brunch, hearty aperitifs, food trucks and live cooking corners. The menus, seasonal and farm to table, can include typical local dishes, vegetarian and vegan recipes, fusion offerings and culinary specialities from the bride and groom’s country of origin.
Does your wedding yearning take you to the heart of Italy? Contact us to help make your every wish come true: info@scuderieodescalchi.it – phone + 39 06.9988152 – mobile + 39 347.0330807.
