Surge in winter weddings as couples attempt to save money amid economic gloom
经济衰退引发冬季婚潮

Register office data shows that thousands more people are tying the knot between October and March than in previous years, to save money on hosting receptions.
根据结婚登记处的数据显示，为了节省办婚礼酒席的费用，与往年相比，有更多的情侣选择在10月到3月间喜结良缘。

Companies offering wedding services are also reporting booming business as couples take advantage of prices thousands of pounds cheaper than during the peak summer months.
婚庆公司称今年生意大丰收——情侣们都看准了冬季举办婚礼比结婚高峰期夏季更能省去一大笔费用的好处。

The number of couples getting married in winter has risen by up to 15 per cent in some areas, with winter weddings now accounting for more than 30 per cent of all marriages in Britain.
在某些地区，这个冬季结婚的情侣数量已经上升到了15%，在英国，冬季婚礼甚至占据全年婚礼数量的30%以上！

The trend is even said to be having an impact on wedding attire, with more designers offering coats, shawls and different coloured dresses from the traditional white and ivory gowns bought by most brides.
而婚礼的服装也因为这个冬季的结婚热潮被准夫妇们重点关注，众多设计师设计了以传统白婚纱和象牙礼服为主线，搭配小外套，披肩和各色长裙的款式——也是大部分新娘的选择。

Belinda Hanks, editor of Confetti, the online bridal store and magazine, said: “One of the main factors behind this has been pressure on budgets.
法国网上婚庆商店Confetti的编辑贝琳达·汉克斯称，婚礼巨额预算是出现这种现象的主要原因之一。

“With the economy the way it is, couples are realising that if they go for a winter wedding they can get a much better deal.
“准新娘新郎们都逐渐意识到，按照当前的经济发展趋势，冬季结婚比夏季更加划算和实际。”

“You can shave down your budget by around a quarter if you marry in winter through savings on venue hire and catering – you’re talking about thousands of pounds. This has been a growing trend over the last couple of years.”
“选择这个冬天举行婚礼你可以在最大头开销——婚礼场地和酒席方面得到费用削减，这意味着可以砍掉整个婚礼预算的四分之一，要知道这可是很大一笔开支！这是近几年的一个发展趋势。”

According to the most up to date marriage data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the number of marriages in the winter months has increased by around seven per cent in two years.
国家统计局办公室的最新数据显示，在今后的两年，冬季婚礼的数量将会增加大约七个百分点。

In 2006 there were 25,880 marriages in the March quarter and 41,150 in the December quarter. This rose to 27, 610 and 44,015 respectively for the same three-month periods in 2008.
在2006年，共有25880对情侣在三月结婚，41150对情侣在12月结婚。而到2008年，相同两季的数据分别上升到27610和44015.

More recent figures from local authorities suggests that the trend has continued to accelerate with thousands more weddings scheduled for the next three months.
地方政府统计的更多数据表明，在未来的三个月，冬季结婚热将会逐渐升温，上千的婚礼派对会新增到这个浪潮中来。

The unpredictability of the British weather is also said to be a contributing factor in couple’s choosing the colder months. Miss Hanks added: “A lot of people are coming around to the fact that even if you book a wedding in the summer, the weather in Britain is not guaranteed to be good.
而英国天气的不确定性使冬季婚礼愈演愈烈。汉克斯小姐补充说：“由于天气无法准确预测，许多情侣也逐渐发现，即使把婚礼定在夏季，也无法保证那天就会给你面子风和日丽晴朗无云。”

“Going for a winter ceremony means people’s expectations are not raised, so it is one less thing to get stressed about when planning the big day.”
“冬季结婚，人们对婚礼的期望值就不会过高，也就意味着人们对于计划这个重大的日子不会抱有太大的压力。”

Experts believe the trend is impacting on wedding dress fashion with more designers creating red wedding dresses, which are becoming popular choices at winter ceremonies, as well as matching coats and accessories.
专家认为，这个热潮同样也激发了礼服时尚，越来越多的设计师开始着眼于红色婚礼服，因为红色在冬季更加受人们青睐，也更容易搭配衣服和配饰。

Debenhams, the department store, said the number of brides signed up to its wedding list service in January was up 89 per cent on the same period last year. Michelle Dowdall, a Debenhams spokesperson, said:“Winter weddings are becoming increasingly popular with our customers, as cash-savvy couples opt to tie the knot at a time of year considered ‘off peak’ by many venues.
百货公司Debenhams声称，与去年相比，注册1月结婚的准夫妇数量在今年飙升了89%。Debenhams发言人米歇尔·道多说，现在越来越多的客户青睐冬季婚礼，许多聪明消费的情侣都选择在一年的婚礼非高峰时段来喜结良缘。

“The growing trend of winter weddings is also reflected in the items featuring on wedding lists. Couples are asking guests for blankets, throws, heavy tog duvets and his and hers dressing gowns. ”
“冬季结婚热潮同样反映在婚礼清单上需要的各种置办。新娘新郎会问婚宴嘉宾要其毛毯，盖毯，羽绒服或他们的礼服来帮忙点缀婚礼。”