Italians may be marrying less but they are spending more on their weddings and honeymoons, according to a report from national statistics bureau Istat.
Last year, Istat said, 242,000 marriages were performed in Italy, equal to 4.1 per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 270,000 five years earlier, when the marriage rate was 4.6 per 1,000.
Istat also said that evidence that more Italians are now preferring live together without tying the knot was the increase in the number of children born out of wedlock. This was 18.6% of the total last year compared to 12.3% in 2002.
The average amount spent on a wedding in 2007 was calculated at 27,000 euros, compared to 19,500 euros five years earlier, an increase of 40%, Istat said.
Looking at honeymoons, data provided by travel agents showed that 85% of Italian newlyweds travel abroad or in Italy generating a turnover of five billion euros a years.
The average cost of a honeymoon today was put at around 4,000 euros a person.
Honeymoons were found to last between five to seven days if couples traveled within the Mediterranean region, and two weeks or more if they travelled far away.
