Valentine's Day is traditionally a popular time of the year for passionate partners to drop to one knee.
But that may not have been the case across Essex last week as recent statistics have revealed that fewer couples in the county are tying the knot.
A total of 6,571 couples exchanged vows in the 2013/14 financial year compared to 7,434 in the previous period, according to figures from the Essex County Council Registration Service.
Whilst the rocketing cost of church weddings may explain the drop in traditional ceremonies, the county still saw a 13 per cent decline in services at registration offices.
However, one suggestion as to why less of the county's would-be spouses are getting hitched is because married men and women are in high-demand on the dating scene.
Claire Page of Illicit Encounters, an online dating website for married people, revealed that over 55,000 living in Essex are using the extramarital courting service.
This figure makes Essex the county with the third highest number of people signed up to the website.
Ben, a 36-year-old teacher, admits that meeting women on the controversial dating site has given him complete escapism from the humdrum of his married life.
He said: "I went onto Illicit Encounters because my sex life with my wife became so stale. I usually tell my wife I'm working late when I'm actually meeting my partner.
"I'm not willing to give up what I have with my mistress. It's what keeps me going through the stressful days at work. I think if I hadn't met my partner on Illicit Encounters I probably would have divorced my wife by now."
The company also compiled its own 'infidelity index' and found that Chelmsford is crawling with love rats as almost 1,000 people living in the city are cheating on their significant other.
Chelmsford has 929 husbands and wives having affairs according to the site, making it the 44th most adulterous place in the UK. Braintree has 598 cheaters, Maldon 334 and Witham 331.
However, Jo Adams, of the Essex County Council Registration Service, admits that the dwindling number of couples getting married in the county is more to do with people being superstitious.
She said: "Fewer people were tying the knot last year because of the '2013 effect'. Not as many couples wanted to get married in what they perceived to be an unlucky year.
"From the projections we have made for the 2014/15 financial year, it would seem that things are on the up again."
