Australia's Most Popular Wedding Day and Marriage Longevity Trends

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Key Points

A total of 1,773 couples wed on 24 February, or 24/02/24.
Australia saw a 2% rise in marriages in 2024 compared to the year before.
In 2024, there was a divorce rate of 2.1 per 1,000 individuals.

Andy and Anh Tran weren’t particularly concerned about the precise date of their wedding, but they did end up marrying on the most sought-after date in Australia last year.

Though some couples may have opted for a date that’s easy to recall, Tran mentioned it was his mother who selected 24 February or 24/02/24.

“She’s kind of superstitious,” he remarked.

“We gave her the available dates considering I work FIFO [fly-in fly-out], listed options, and she recommended this as a good day, so we chose the 24th.”

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Australian marriages in 2024, published this week, revealed 1,773 ceremonies were held on the final Saturday of the 2023/2024 summer.

Save the date

It also showed the nation recorded a 2 per cent increase in marriages from the previous year, with a total of 120,844 marriages taking place.

While more than 1 per cent of couples who wed in 2024 did so on 24 February, it was not the only popular matrimonial date.

A table listing the top 10 dates of weddings that took place in Australia in 2024.

The most popular date to get married last year was 24 February 2024, with 1,773 marriages. Source: SBS News

Another easy-to-remember or numerically satisfying date that was popular was 24/04/24. Although Fridays and Saturdays were most popular for weddings, one Thursday recorded a spike in wedding numbers in 2024.

Marriages in Australia in 2024

While the Trans may share an anniversary date with many others who got married in 2024, having had a summer wedding means theirs actually fell outside of the most common seasons to tie the knot in Australia.

According to the data on marriages, most took place during spring or autumn.

The national statistics showed Australians who get married typically do so in their early 30s.

The median age for women to marry remained steady at 31.2 years, while the median age for men was 32.8 years.

A list of statistics about marriages that took place in Australia in 2024.

There were 120,844 marriages registered in Australia in 2024, a 2 per cent increase from those registered in 2023. Source: SBS News

Same-sex or gender-diverse couples made up almost 4 per cent of the marriages recorded last year.

While more marriages took place in 2024 in Australia than in the previous year, the recent marriage statistics represent a 5 per cent drop from the record high of 127,161 marriages registered in 2022, following the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The ABS describes 2024 marriage figures as “comparable to the pre-pandemic rate in 2019 of 5.6 marriages per 1,000 people”.

While NSW recorded the most marriages in 2024 (32,050), Victoria experienced the highest increase in marriages, with an additional 2,234, representing a 7.5 per cent increase.

The rise in marriage numbers recorded in these two states and Western Australia contributed to the overall national increase in last year’s statistics, with other states and territories experiencing declines.

Correction may not continue into 2025

Celebrant and WA Wedding Association secretary Candice Bydder indicated that while 2024 showed a small rise in marriages nationally, it’s likely the continuation of a ‘correction’ that began in the industry in 2022, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A bride and groom in wedding dress and suit, standing with another woman in a red dress, all holding ice creams in front of an ice-cream truck.

Celebrant Candice Bydder, who married Andy and Anh Tran on 24 February last year, said while there was an increase in marriages recorded last year, it appeared as if the industry may have slowed down a little during the first half of 2025. Source: Supplied / BKD Media

Bydder said anecdotally it appeared as if that correction may be slowing in 2025, and the weddings taking place so far this year have shown a trend towards “lighter spending”.

“I’m seeing far more paperwork-only weddings, so there’s a trend towards smaller, legal-only weddings,” she told SBS News.

“That might be a bit about the cost of living, but also just people wanting to spend that money elsewhere,” Bydder said.