Oxford has been crowned the 'best UK city' to get married in - thanks to its winning combination of venues, service providers and sunny weather. The study analysed UK cities to find the best domestic wedding destination, factoring in each city’s options for venues and essential wedding day services, including florists, photographers, and makeup artists.
The City of Spires was found to be the place best equipped to host weddings owing to the high number of wedding venues in and around the city, according to research conducted by experts at jewellers F Hinds. This coupled with the abundance of local businesses catering to Oxford weddings meant it scored 177 out of a possible 186 points on this metric.
Oxford also beats other UK cities when it comes to bridal hair and makeup services, with 257 hair stylists and makeup artists offering their services to weddings in the city. Just missing out on a podium spot with fourth place overall, Manchester took the top spot for number of wedding venues, with 365 in and around the city.
Newlyweds will also find the highest number of wedding photographers catering to Manchester weddings - 227 in total. Oxford tops the list again when it comes to options for florists (137) and wedding caterers (120), while second-place Birmingham has the most bakers ready and waiting to make the wedding cake couples dream of.
Factoring in average temperatures and rainfall levels across each season, the rankings change - which may affect a couple's chosen wedding destination depending on when they plan to get hitched. Oxford continues to dominate with the best combination of temperature and lower levels of rain in all four seasons.
While Oxford is a strong option regardless of the season, Milton Keynes ends up a better city overall than Birmingham if couples want good weather for a spring wedding, while Southampton drops down the rankings in the summer months. Scottish cities unfortunately dominate the bottom end of the rankings all year round, particularly Dundee and Aberdeen, the latter of which trails in last place.
Listings show just one florist and one caterer offering services to weddings in Aberdeen, and the city also has the fewest wedding venues of the cities compared - just 45. Glasgow and Edinburgh are marginally better when it comes to venues and services but are let down by colder temperatures and more rainfall compared to much of the UK.
Sales Development Director at F.Hinds, Jeremy Hinds, said: "Cities across the UK are distinct and diverse ensuring that whether you want your wedding to be close to friends and family, or you fancy travelling further afield you’ll be able to find a suitable destination in every corner of the country.
"We looked at the options for wedding venues and those essential wedding day services, such as wedding photographers and florists, in each city and if you’re looking to get married in Oxford it does look like you're spoiled for choice.
"The city also comes out on top when factoring in weather - another vital consideration for a wedding date."
For more information visit https://www.fhinds.co.uk/blog/The-Best-UK-Cities-To-Host-Your-Wedding
TOP 10 BEST-EQUIPPED CITIES FOR WEDDINGS
1 Oxford 177
2 Birmingham 170
3 Milton Keynes 166
4 Manchester 163
5 Southampton 162
6 Coventry 161
7 Brighton & Hove 148
8 Bristol 147
=9 Derby 124
=9 Leicester 124
TOP FIVE CITIES FOR WEDDINGS IN EACH SEASON (Weighting the ranking by Met Office data)
Spring: 1. Oxford 2. Milton Keynes 3. Birmingham 4. Southampton 5. Coventry
Summer: 1. Oxford 2.Birmingham 3. Coventry 4. Milton Keynes 5. Southampton
Autumn: 1. Oxford 2. Birmingham 3. Milton Keynes 4. Southampton 5. Coventry
Winter: 1. Oxford 2. Birmingham 3. Milton Keynes . Southampton 5. Coventry
