Over the first three months since the law 13/2005, of 1 July came into effect, by which the Civil Code concerning the right to get married is modified, 23 weddings between persons of the same sex were held in the A.C. of the Basque Country, 4 of which took place in Alava, 14 in Bizkaia and 5 in Gipuzkoa, according to Eustat data. All but one were weddings between males.

In July, August and September 2005 there were 3,359 weddings in the A.C. of the Basque Country, which represents a 2% decrease with regard to the same quarter the previous year. 1,754 weddings were held in Bizkaia, with a 1% decrease; 1,043 weddings in Gipuzkoa, 4% fewer un and only in Araba with 438, was there an increase, 5% with regard to the same period the year before. In the case of residents from outside the A.C. of the Basque Country, the number of weddings came to 138.

July was the month with most weddings (,.557), compared to 1,354 in September. In addition, August continued to be the summer month with fewest weddings (448).

There was a significant increase in the number of church weddings held in this quarter. Compared with the winter months, when over half the weddings were civil, in this period 63.4% of ceremonies were religious, although they decreased by 3% with regard to the same period the year before. In Gipuzkoa religious weddings represented 61% of the total, 63% in Bizkaia and in Alava the figure reached 65%.

The 3,359 weddings held in the third quarter of 2005 involved 3,235 males and 3,324 females resident in the A.C. of the Basque Country. For 3,049 grooms (94.3%) this was their first wedding, while 13 widowers and 173 divorcees remarried. The percentage of first marriages for females was similar to that of males: there were 3,155 (94.9%) single brides, 6 widows and 163 divorcées.

With regard to the distribution of marriages according to the age of spouses, 49% of brides were aged over 30, while among grooms this percentage came to 69%.