Brits in Gretna Green rush

IT WILL be a strictly British affair in Gretna this Valentine’s Day as a total of 48 couples travel from all corners of the UK to say ‘I do’.

Registrars and members of the clergy will be rushed off their feet as lovebirds from Scotland, England and Wales descend on the border town to get hitched.

But for the third consecutive year it’ll be only British beaus exchanging vows as no foreign sweethearts have opted to wed in the district on February 14.

Fourteen of the couples have opted to marry in the popular town centre registration office, while 18 civil ceremonies and 16 religious ceremonies will be conducted in other locations around the town.

And the figures, which are the same as Valentine’s Day 2009, also show an increase of 18 compared to last year and a jump of 26 compared to 2010, when the romantic day fell on a Sunday.

But they still fail to match the record set in 2004 when a staggering 97 ceremonies were conducted – contributing to the yearly total of 5556 which is the town’s busiest year to date.

Following the Valentine wedding rush, staff in Gretna will have little time to prepare for their next big date as February 2012 is also a leap year and they expect February 29 to be extremely popular.

And then preparations will also get underway for the last of the unique dates on December 12 (12/12/12), which is sure to mirror the trend set since January 1 2001.





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