WEDDING fever swept across the globe last April as Prince William and Catherine Middleton tied the knot and among the audience of millions were 259 Wagga couples who were inspired to follow suit.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Following Wagga’s own wedding themed Festival of Flowers, Craft and Music, which last year drew more than 1000 visitors, Reverend Michael Armstrong of the Anglican Parish of Wagga said that interest in being married in a church had begun to rise again after the royal wedding – bucking the more modern trend of being married by a beach or garden.
A spokesman from St Michael’s Cathedral said much like Wills and Kate, spring and autumn were the seasons of choice for weddings, with the cathedral hosting up to three weddings a week at peak times – averaging around 50 weddings a year.
New beginnings continued to flourish across the region as Wagga families welcomed 1304 new arrivals, with baby boys leading the charge over their female counterparts.
While both Wagga Base Hospital and Calvary Hospital last year struggled to cope with an ongoing nurse shortage, nurse unit manager of St Gerard’s Calvary Hospital Paula Bennett said changes to allow the hospitals to train their own midwives in conjunction with the studies offered at Charles Sturt University had eased the strain.
2011 statistics
Births: 1301
Deaths: 461
Marriages: 259
