- The number of marriages has been rising again for several years
- The age of the bride and groom is also increasing continuously
- After an average of 4.5 years of relationship comes the marriage proposal
Weddings are slowly increasing again
With over 44,000 marriages in 2015, Austria has almost reached the level of the 80s and 90s of the last century. Back then, 45,000 marriages were celebrated each year, but there has been a significant decline in the last 15 years. It is only since 2010 that there has been a slight upward trend in weddings. And yet for many people, the subject of "wedding" or "lifelong commitment" is associated with taboos.
Why is the generation of those wanting to get married so hesitant?
We spoke to psychologist Gabriela Firnthrat about it and conducted a large online survey with 400 respondents from Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
By the way: We are looking for the most original marriage proposal and are giving away a 500€ voucher from 123gold.at (redeemable at all locations in Austria). Send us your proposal as a PDF, video or photo to service@hochzeits-location.info by October 15, 2016. Your proposal will of course remain your private matter and will not be published! All information is available at http://hochzeits-location.info/win
The marriage proposal – a purely male affair – that was yesterday!
As part of our survey, we questioned people from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Around 90% of the survey participants were female. On average, it took 4.5 years for the respondents to propose marriage. It should be noted that the timing of the proposal varies greatly. For 21% of respondents, the proposal came within the first twelve months, 27% had to wait between one and three years, for 49% of respondents the proposal came between three and ten years of the relationship and only 3% of couples were in the relationship for more than 10 years before deciding to commit to a permanent relationship. When it comes to the topic of "who asks the big question", we are still very traditional. In 9 out of 10 cases, the man makes the first move. However, this does not have to be the case. As women become more emancipated, a new development is emerging here. A quarter of respondents already say that women can also make the first move. Psychologist Firnthrat does not see this as a change in the role model in the future relationship: "The marriage proposal arises from the couple's history and it can be consistent either way. The lasting effect depends on whether the couple allows the right thing to happen or not."
Defining yourself through your partner is out
Gabi Firnthrat has been working with (married) couples as a psychologist for 33 years and is often asked the question "What is the point of being married?" "It has probably become more of a question of meaning than the actual fear of a lifelong commitment," says the Mödling psychologist in connection with the reluctance to marry. She sees the times of globalization and change as great challenges for us humans in many areas. "Many things are being questioned, many are looking for new models to deal with everyday problems and marriage, as the smallest building block of our society, is also being subjected to a search for new concepts."
Firnthrat notices that 25- to 35-year-olds are increasingly searching for their own identity. It is therefore hardly surprising that the average age of first marriage in 2015 has risen since the early 1990s for women from 24.3 to 30.3 years and for men from 26.5 to 32.6 years in the same period (each an increase of around 0.2 years compared to 2014) / Source: Statistics Austria.
And yet the longing for a partnership is greater than ever. "The idea that I could get a divorce anyway is actually hardly present in my experience. Often the real motives for entering into a marriage are shaped by personal shortcomings and deficits, such as not being able to be alone, and prevent the focus from being placed on developing the ability to love in the partnership," Firnthrat concludes her assessment.
If YES – then do it right
Those who finally get married are placing more and more value on more original celebrations. Our experience is that "couples want to put their identity into the celebrations - they want to express themselves. Today, a hiking-loving couple no longer gets married in a village inn - but at a cable car station with a view of the surrounding mountain panorama."
In order to make all dreams come true, in May 2015 we set up Austria's most extensive wedding location database with currently 1,500 locations. From meadows to castles, from pubs to gourmet restaurants and from barns to ships, those wanting to get married can find the right location. Speed is the most important thing! The TOP wedding locations and the TOP wedding photographers are usually booked up a year in advance. So if you're dreaming of something special, don't wait too long to start looking...
With that in mind: have fun looking for your dream location , dream photographer , dream band and dream car ! :)
Next week you can look forward to a compilation of the most original locations in Austria!
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