Wedding plandemic
Here comes the bride — and there go the divorce papers.
Marriages have been on the rise since weddings and dating were put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic — an apparent silver lining to long lockdowns.
The number of marriages jumped from 5.1 per 1,000 people in 2020 to 6.2 per 1,000 by 2022 — the highest rate observed since 2018 — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were more than 2,065,000 marriages in 2022, the first time the US hit the 2 million mark since 2019. The largest percentage increase in 2022 compared with 2021 occurred in New York, which saw a 21% spike.
Experts suggest that the rise is due to more than the end of lockdowns, explaining the hardships of the pandemic changed how people enter into and handle relationships.
Amanda, 29, and Lenny Bellezza, 32, were dating for several years before the pandemic forced the world to stay inside.
“When we quarantined in our Queens apartment, we did all the things everyone else did: puzzles, tie-dyed clothes, binged every season of ‘Survivor’ and spent so much time with each other and our dog,” Amanda told The Post.
“After quarantining together in a small apartment for over a year, we knew we were ready to spend the rest of our lives together.”
The couple got engaged in 2021 and tied the knot in New Jersey in 2023 with their dog Bronson by their side.
New Yorker Trevina Tadros, 32, also knew Andrew Metri, 31, was the one right when they got together.
“I had no intentions of pursuing marriage before being with him,” Trevina told The Post, adding that she took the decision to accept the ring on her finger “extremely” seriously.
‘Less picky’
“The fact that we navigated it together so well certainly wasn’t overlooked,” Trevina told The Post of COVID-19.
The Long Island natives married in New York on June 4, 2022.
“People are realizing the consequences of being lonely,” Elisabeth Goldberg, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told The Post. “They do want to find a partner and are saying to themselves, ‘You know what? I’m going to be less picky. Let me think more about my values.’ ”
The marriage rate is still low compared to the past two decades, when the number of marriages stayed around seven to eight per 1,000 people a year — but it comes as divorces continue on a downward trend.
The divorce rate in 2000 was four per 1,000 people a year, compared to just 2.4 in 2022.