A quarter of marriages in Scotland involve couples who do not live in the country, according to Scottish marriage statistics analysed by BBC Verify. The numbers underline Scotland’s appeal as a destination wedding spot.

In 2025, 19,874 Scottish marriages involved two people living in Scotland, while 5,731 involved two people living elsewhere in the UK, according to Fuze Ceremonies’ analysis of official figures. That is more than one in five marriages.

Scotland’s pull comes from scenery, castles and simpler rules. Couples can marry with a minimum notice of 29 days, and ceremonies can be civil, religious or humanist. Average wedding costs are lower than the UK average, at about 18,617 pounds compared with 20,822 pounds.

Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Glasgow together account for 37 per cent of all marriages registered in Scotland.

The trend mirrors a wider shift toward home-country destination weddings, where couples travel for scenery without the cost of going abroad.