Wedding boom in regional NZ

Yvette and Jon Douglas were married in Wanganui last year. Photo / Mark Brimblecombe Photographer

Regional New Zealand is benefiting from an upsurge in marriages nationwide, new figures show.

According to Statistics New Zealand several areas, including Manawatu, Wanganui, Taupo and the Mackenzie Country, had a five year high in the number of nuptials in 2014.

Hawke's Bay wedding photographer Eva Bradley said couples were increasingly traveling to tie the knot.

"I have been in business for 10 years and have definitely noticed in recent years that most of our couples are not actually from Hawke's Bay," she said.

"They may have links to the region and have grown up here but are now living in Australia, the UK and other parts of New Zealand.

"Increasingly we have couples with no links to Hawke's Bay but they are making a big effort to host their wedding here."

Meanwhile, former Wanganui woman Yvette Douglas said it was a "no brainer" to return from Hawke's Bay and get married in her hometown last year.

"I'm from Wanganui and my parents and grandparents still live there...

"The other good thing about Wanganui is it's a really reasonably priced place to get married - some places can be astronomical."

Wairarapa bride Hannah Ferens also spoke highly of getting married in the regions.

"The Wairarapa is beautiful and the venue is really special to us," she said.

"It was an amazing day."

Ms Ferens' father-in-law owns Tuhitarata Estate's Lacewood venue in South Wairarapa where she was married.

Celebrants Association president Elizabeth Bennett said several factors affected the number of marriages.

"If you compare the rate of marriage 20 years ago to now, it's decreased," she said.

"A lot of people are delaying when they get married. Women are having a more prominent role in the workforce, people travel more than they used to and so on."

Nationally, there were 20,125 marriages last year - 888 more than in 2013.

There were 19,639 opposite-sex marriages and 486 same-sex marriages. A further 2507 opposite-sex marriages and 391 same-sex marriages were registered to overseas residents.

It was the first full year of same-sex marriage registrations since the Marriage Amendment Act came into effect in August 2013.

Only 19 same-sex civil unions were registered to New Zealanders in 2014, down from 121 in 2013.

Meanwhile, 8171 married and 63 civil union couples divorced in 2014. Just over one-third of couples who married in 1989 had divorced before their 25th wedding anniversary.

Couples must be separated for more than two years before they can divorce, therefore no same-sex marriages have formally dissolved.