_It's official; weddings are on the rise! According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of weddings in England and Wales during 2010* rose by 3.7% compared to 2009. Which doesn't sound much until you realise that the number of marriages has been in steep decline since, wait for it,1971.

In 2010, 277,740 people in the UK chose to get married. Of these, 68% were civil wedding ceremonies, and the number of ceremonies in approved premises such as hotels, stately homes and historic building was up by 12%. That's quite a lot of people choosing to get married, which probably explains why you need to book your civil wedding venue so far in advance!

For those planning a church wedding, you too a setting a trend! Figures from the Church of England show the number of church weddings rose by 4%, and religious ceremonies of all denominations and religions account for 32% of all weddings.

And civil partnerships are on the rise too, by 1.7% in 2010, with over 46,000 ceremonies performed since the Civil Partnership Act came into force in December 2005.

So, the message is clear; more people in the UK are choosing to get married, and we'll drink a toast to that!


*Figures release by ONS on 29/2/2012. Preparing stats obviously takes time!

_Choosing hymns for your church wedding ceremony can be daunting if you're not a regular church-goer, and that includes most of us these days.

According to statistics from the Church of England, only 1.1million people in the UK attend a CofE church every week, despite 69% of the UK population defining themselves as Christian. It's hardly surprising, then, that many young brides and grooms simply don't have experience of singing hymns beyond their school days, if then.

So, when you're faced with a fat hymn book and loads of internet sites, how can you choose the best hymns for your special day? Here's our top five wedding hymn tips:

1. Ask the clergyman taking your service for advice. Every vicar or priest has their favourites, as do the organists, and they also know what sounds great in their particular church acoustic.

2. Also ask your friends and family which ones they like; if they know a hymn, chances are, they'll be happy to sing it at your wedding!

3. Take a look at our wedding hymns list here at Singers4Weddings. We've listed the top wedding hymns we as asked to sing, and we know they have really great, rousing tunes that encourage people to have a good sing! Trust us on this, a slow, low hymn can seem to go on for ever…

4. Listen to the hymns being sung before you decide. You can search YouTube with the hymn title, but be aware that some hymns have more than one tune. The  rule we follow is; if the bride knows it, and her mother know it too, choose that tune!

5. Finally, bear in mind the golden rule of hymns for weddings: you don't need to sing ALL the verses! Ask your organist or clergy which ones are usually cut, and only print the verses you want in the Order of Service. That way, your wedding ceremony singers and your guests are, literally, singing from the same hymn sheet!

_If there's one point in a church wedding ceremony we love here at Singers4Weddings, it's that expectant hush just before the bride enters to walk down the aisle in all her glory!

Often before the ceremony, the organist will be playing gently in the background, your guests will be chatting, and we'll be watching the door like hawks. It's always an exciting moment when we see the vicar or priest signal to us that the bride has arrived and the organist quickly wraps up the piece they are playing.

At that moment of silence, everybody realises your wedding ceremony is about to begin, and you can sense the excitement and anticipation. Here she comes!

But what piece of 'walk down the aisle' music do you chose?

Many brides we speak to are not aware that they don't have to walk down the aisle to organ music or a recording; we can sing you in instead! Most experienced wedding ceremony singers such as ourselves are experts in ensuring that whatever is sung is long enough for you to walk down at a gentle pace, but not too long so you are standing at the altar for agonising minutes waiting for the singing to finish! 

Almost any traditional sacred or traditional song is suitable, and favourite 'down the aisle' songs include the 'Ave Maria' by Schubert, 'Panis Angelicus' by Franck, or the 'Pie Jesu' from Lloyd Webber's Requiem. (An unusual choice but such a lovely piece of music.)

Most UK brides enter to the Bridal March by Wagner, otherwise known as "Here comes the bride", which is originally a chorus from Wagner's opera "Lohengrin". So, if you want to start your wedding with a twist on tradition, walk in to this familiar tune sung by our professional opera signers, for a thrilling start to a memorable ceremony!