The number of Church of Scotland weddings has more than halved in a decade – with humanist nuptials now more popular for the first time.
In 2005 the Kirk led more than 8,860 ceremonies, marrying well over a quarter of all those tying the knot across the country.
But by last year that figure had fallen to just 4,052 – 13.6% of weddings.
Church leaders hailed its continued position as the most popular single choice for religious or belief-based ceremonies.
But while the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) performed 3,378 ceremonies, the total number of humanist weddings was 4,290.
A decade ago only 82 such unions were recorded after Scotland became one of the first countries in the world to allow them.
Lynsey Kidd, HSS head of ceremonies and chaplaincy, said: “It’s really encouraging to see the growth of these wonderful ceremonies.
“Our registered celebrants across Scotland are ambassadors for humanism and work hard to ensure that life’s big milestones are celebrated in a meaningful way.”
Roman Catholic churches across the country accounted for fewer than 5% of marriages – down from 2,004 in 2005 to 1,438 last year.
The Assemblies of God Pentecostal denomination carried out 524 and the Scottish Episcopal Church and other Anglican churches 435.
The most dramatic decline was suffered by the Methodist Church, which married 205 couples in 2015, nearly 80% down on 2005.
More than half of all couples – 52.5% – choose civil weddings.
The average age for men to get married has topped 38 for the first time, with women tying the knot at 36 on average.
Figures produced by the National Records of Scotland also reveal that more than one in 20 marriages in Aberdeen last year were between same-sex couples – 47 out of the total of 819.
In Moray there were 20 (4.8%), in Highland 50 (3.3%), Shetland three (3.4%), Aberdeenshire 33 (2.6%) and Orkney three (2.6%).
The Western Isles hosted one gay marriage out of 123 in total.
The Rev Norman Smith, convener of the Church of Scotland’s Mission and Discipleship Council, said: “The Church of Scotland has always stood with the people of Scotland and helped them take this step together.
“That is still the case and we would encourage anyone considering marriage to remember their local church when thinking about their very special day.”
