THE marriage business is booming in North Yorkshire, say council chiefs in charge of civil ceremonies.

North Yorkshire County Council reports that a record 2,903 couples tied the knot at civil weddings in the county in the past 12 months.

The county now has more than 100 locations licensed for civil marriages. They range from stately homes and theatres to some pubs and restaurants.

Gordon Gresty, the council's corporate director for business and community services, said: "This is good news for the couples who get such a wide variety of choice of where they can get married - and also good news for businesses.

"Bringing weddings to North Yorkshire brings real jobs to the county, promoting prosperity for everyone involved.

"We can see from the number of couples getting married that the service we offer is appreciated by the clients, but we can't be complacent."

The council has recently introduced new services such as baby-naming and marriage affirmation.

Later this year, the registration of civil partnerships for gay couples will be starting and the first appointments for December 2005 have already been taken.