The number of church weddings remained stable last year with 1,564 couples tying the knot at the Archdiocese of Malta, the Curia said.

It said in a statement that the number was seven couples more than in 2007.

1,328 weddings were among Maltese spouses and 64 between Maltese and foreigners. These included 37 between Catholics, 19 between Maltese Catholics and non-Catholic Christians and eight between Maltese Catholics and non Christians. There were also seven weddings between Maltese living in another country and 165 between foreign couples.

The 64 foreigners who married a Maltese person last year were 44 men and 20 women. They hailed form Italy (13); England (nine); Russia (five); Nigeria (four); Belgium, Bulgaria, Philippines, and the United States (three each), Canada, Germany and the Netherlands (two each) and Algeria, Belarus, Brazil, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Croatia, Latvia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Scotland, Ukraine and Wales (one each).

Most church weddings were organised in June (228), closely followed by May (227) and July (194). The least popular months were January and February when 16 couples each month said their vows. In March there were 70 weddings, in April 108, in August 173, in September 164, in October 167, in November 64 and in December 137.

67 couples who were originally not married in Church validated their marriage - 18 of them after less than a year, 39 had been married between one and five years, six between six and 10 years, four between 11 and 17 years.

The Curia said that in 2008 there were 24 widows or widowers who remarried as well as 44 persons who remarried after their first marriage was declared null. There were three couples who cancelled their registration to get married. One wedding involved a man who was older than 70.