Living’s ‘Four Weddings’ Report – from Frocks to Finances….

As Wedding Season Hits, Biggest Ever Wedding Survey Reveals All On Modern Marriage Attitudes

– Princess Diana Had Best Dress Of All Time, While Jordan Had Worst Wedding Attire

– Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing, Is Most Popular Wedding Dance Track

– ¼ Of Couples Shun Sex On the Honeymoon

– Walking Up The Aisle In 2009 Costs £15,261

Almost thirty years since she stepped down the aisle, the late Princess Diana is still inspiring in the bridal style stakes, as her wedding dress is named the most iconic of all time, in new research looking at 21st Century wedding tastes and attitudes on marriage. From the most popular first dance through to today’s big day budgets, the results lay bare the cost of a wedding in 2009, which has dropped dramatically by £5,000 over the last year, and reveals how quickly the romance dies after the ‘I Dos’ are exchanged – 23% of couples are no longer sleeping together on their honeymoons!

Over 4,000 respondents took part in the poll, commissioned exclusively by LIVING to coincide with their new wedding series Four Weddings, which starts on Monday 6th July at 9pm. The findings provided a fascinating insight on the best and worst in bridal couture, and what we’re really prepared to spend in budget Britain on the festivities and the engagement rings.

Still idolised three decades on, the legendary gown worn by Princess Diana was declared the perfect wedding dress, while on the opposite end of the bridal chic scale, glamour Queen Jordan was named the celebrity with the most disastrous wedding attire. Jordan, whose marital woes have recently hit the headlines, donned a pink Cinderella creation at her wedding to Peter Andre back in 2005. Princess Diana’s dress, designed by the Emmanuels, was selected ahead of other fabulous favourites including Princess Grace’s gown and the Vivienne Westwood spectacle showcased by Sarah Jessica Parker in the movie Sex and the City (the full top ten appears below).

Perfect Wedding Dress
1. Diana, Princess of Wales (42%)
2. Grace Kelly (13.68%)
3. Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City (11.53%)
4. Katie Price (8%)
5. Jennifer Aniston (4.8%)
6. Pamela Anderson’s white bikini (4.5%)
7. Victoria Beckham (4.4%)
8. Cheryl Cole (3.8%)
9. Madonna in Like a Virgin (3.25%)
10. Bianca Jagger’s white tuxedo (2.8%)

Worst Wedding Attire
1. Katie Price, AKA Jordan (33.1%)
2. Jodie Marsh (24%)
3. Britney Spears in Las Vegas (11.8%)
4. Pamela Anderson (10.4%)
5. Liza Minelli (5.2%)
6. Victoria Beckham (4.78%)
7. Britney Spears to Kevin Federline (3.9%)
8. Chantelle Houghton (2.8%)
9. Colleen McLoughlin (2.25%)
10. Renee Zellwegger’s beach wedding (1.73%)

The all important first wedding dance, dreaded by many a nervous newlywed, also came under scrutiny, with wedding couples opting for Aerosmith’s classic I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing as their most popular track to take those first tentative wedding steps to, just months after Jade Goody and her husband Jack Tweed danced to the track at their wedding. With 17.2%, it waltzed into first place ahead of the timeless Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli (12.25%) and Stevie Wonder’s hit Isn’t She Lovely (9.6%).

First Dance Numbers
1. Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing (17.28%)
2. Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (12.25%)
3. Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely (9.6%)
4. Robbie Williams’ Angels (9.45%)
5. Bill Medley and Jennifer Waynes’ (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life (7.9%)
6. Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You (7.38%)
7. James Blunt’s Beautiful (6%)
8. Brian Adam’s Heaven (5.2%)
9. Bee Gees’ How Deep Is Your Love (4.5%)
10. Spandau Ballet’s True (4.3%)

Back to the basics of modern day marriages, an overwhelming 88.5% admit that they still believe in the union, with 29 and 28 established as the average ages for men and women to tie the knot respectively. First loves may have to think again, as respondents also believe that, in order for a marriage to stand the test of time, it’s important to have been involved in five serious relationships before getting engaged. When it comes to the crucial costings, the mean wedding spend for 2009 stands at £15,261, with an additional £3,288 considered appropriate to splash on an engagement ring. The wedding budget is a significant decrease on last year’s average spend, which amounted to £20,273 (according to You and Your Wedding Magazine), as couples eliminate extravagance to combat the credit crunch.

Perhaps the most surprising statistics are the fact that 23% (almost 1/4) of couples surveyed admit that they don’t sleep together on their honeymoons – perhaps failing to overcome the stress of the ceremony. The demise of the wedding romance continues with grim statistics for uncoupled guests looking to snare a singleton – 82% of us have never once found romance at a wedding, while only 1.3% actually met their future husband or wife at a big day, suggesting we’d be better off back on the speed dating circuit. Bridesmaids have slightly better luck – on average 20% will end up in between the sheets with a Best Man.

The survey findings also produced several strays in wedding convention; in a break from tradition, 25% of men say they would now choose a Best Woman over a Best Man, 45% of women are making speeches at the wedding breakfast, while 1/3 of the females questioned stated that they now shun the ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue’ mantra.

The questionnaire also spared a thought for the ever enduring wedding guests – how much does it really cost to attend a wedding, how often do we go and how well do we actually know the people we share the day with? The staggering guest spend, comprising everything from the hen and stag dos to the obligatory wedding present, amounted to a generous £361 – the Argos catalogue toaster obviously a gift of the past! With respondents claiming to attend an average of 3 weddings a year, this suggests we are spending over £1,000 annually on weddings that aren’t even our own! We don’t even have the comfort of these investments being put into life long friendships – 19% of us say we only speak to 10% of our guest contingent regularly after the nuptials take place and the gifts have been handed over.

Four Weddings sees the battle of the brides commence as four competitive couples go head to head in out and out wedding warfare. The ten part series features four brides to be, as they put their special day under scrutiny and invite three rival brides to critique their nuptials, all in a bid to win every newly wed’s dream prize – a luxury honeymoon. Weddings to remember are guaranteed, but will it be a big day of delight, or matrimonial misery? The series will culminate in a celebrity special.

For further information call Taylor Herring PR on 020 8206 5151