A total of 7,296 couples tied the knot in religious or civil ceremonies, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The number of marriages in 2013 - the latest statistics to be published - fell from 8,140 in 2012 - a reduction of 10.3 per cent.

But the region mirrored the national picture which also saw a drop and it's believed people could have been avoiding the number '13' fearing it an unlucky year to get married. Financial reasons with Britain still recovering after the recession may also have had an impact.

Dudley saw the biggest drop of 22 per cent - with 893 couples getting married in 2013 compared with 1,155 during the previous year.

But Councillor John Martin, cabinet member for law and governance, said that numbers tying the knot at register offices and other approved venues in the borough had increased since then.

“Marriages continue to be popular in Dudley borough and the number of people choosing to tie the knot has grown over the past two years. We have a range of venues for people to get married including Priory Hall, Himley Hall and the brand new Thomas Robinson building. There was a drop in numbers in 2013 which may have had something to do with superstition or even financial reasons during economic uncertainty at the time," he added.

In Sandwell there was a 12 per cent reduction in the number of ceremonies with 672 in 2013, down from 770 in 2012.

In Wolverhampton, there was a seven per cent drop with 789 couples getting married in 2012 compared with 733 in 2012 and in Walsall the number fell by around six per cent with 720 ceremonies in 2013 and 675 in 2012.

While in Staffordshire, the number dropped by 10 per cent from 4,806 in 2013 to 4,312 in 2012.

National figures show there were 240,854 marriages in England and Wales, a drop of 8.6 per cent compared with 2012 and the first fall since 2009.

Elizabeth McLaren, from the Office for National Statistics, said: "Fewer people got married in England and Wales in 2013, the first decrease in marriages since 2009.

"The fall could indicate the continuation of the long-term decline in marriages since 1972 or could be due to couples choosing to postpone their marriage to avoid the number 13 which is perceived as unlucky by many cultures."

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