Covid cut 2020 US wedding numbers to lowest since 1963

The Covid-19 pandemic took its toll on weddings in the United States, with only 1.6 million marriages taking place in 2020, the lowest number since 1963, according to data.

With many couples forced to postpone their weddings, the number of marriages in 2020 fell nearly 17 percent from the previous year, when nearly two million were married, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

But fear not, romantics — the dip should be followed by an explosion in people walking down the aisle, with nearly 2.5 million ceremonies expected this year, according to The Wedding Report, a group specializing in marriage statistics.

Both fears of Covid-19 transmission and restrictions on gatherings curbed weddings in 2020. As a result, the marriage rate fell to 5.1 per 1,000 people — down from 6.1 the previous year, NCHS said.

Overall, 46 states and the nation’s capital saw a drop in marriages in 2020, with the biggest declines occurring in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, New York and Louisiana.

Nevada, home to Las Vegas, where many couples marry, also saw a drop from 2019, but it remained the state with the most marriages in 2020, as it had in previous years.

According to The Wedding Report, the number of weddings is expected to remain below two million in 2021 before exploding in 2022 and then returning to normal after 2023.