ABOVE: David Cameron is a vocal supporter of marriage

And there is a wealth of pro-marriage evidence to suggest Cameron is not the only one who understandably gets misty-eyed at the thought of a Nigella-inspired five-tier chocolate Guinness wedding cake. There was actually a 4% marriage increase in 2010; an impressive stat given weddings have been gradually in decline since 1972. While last week research released by the Marriage Foundation revealed that three-quarters of 18-24 year olds and two-thirds of people cohabiting want to get married. And it’s women in their early 30s who are leading the trend with a 6.1% increase in weddings. According to our Stylist Census last year, marriage is ‘very important’ to 64.9% of you.

So what’s fuelling this new era of fondness for matrimony? Writing for The Huffington Post, psychologist Mairead Molloy blames the recession: “In times of austerity, we all have a natural desire to seek comfort and security”. Her belief as to why marriage has enjoyed a swift hike is in essence a return to “steady values”. And she may be on to something. In certain parts of the UK, church weddings have shot up by 20% – a figure one spokesperson ascribed to a need for “something spiritual” in a transient society. Essentially we’re all embracing a much-needed bit of romance in tricky times.

There is also the simple explanation that marriage has a certain cache again. Kate and William’s 2011 tree-lined aisle had three billion people around the world tuning in to watch the royal union. And, according to the Church Of England, enquiries about church weddings rose 50% in the months after. Even Kate Moss – the eternal trend setter – deemed 2012 the appropriate time to finally take the plunge. Lily Allen last year stated that “marriage has been everything I hoped for and more”. Combine this with the rise in beautiful Pinterest wedding boards, vintage blogs (Love My Dress, Rock My Wedding…), touching Facebook best man video speeches and the quest to find the quirkiest wedding favours and it’s hard to deny that our generation is embracing weddings – and some much needed fun and escapism.

But despite the fact we’re embracing weddings with more gusto than ever before, marriage is also a rather loaded subject. And one about which everyone (not just our PM) has some rather strong views – whether you’re rushing the wedding or he’s left it too late to propose; whether it’s an outdated concept or the pillar of a good relationship – it’s all up for debate.

Is marriage back in fashion?