A new glossy magazine about how and where to get married in Oxfordshire should attract more brides-to-be to the county - and bring in extra revenue for businesses.

Jacquie Bugeja, assistant head of Oxfordshire County Council Registration Service, believes Oxfordshire: The Place to Marry will boost the number of weddings taking place in the county.

She said: "In the last 12 months alone, more than 25 per cent of civil weddings in Oxfordshire have been for couples who live outside of the county.

"With the average spend on a wedding increasing, that means good news for local hotels, dress hire shops, caterers, car hire firms, florists, photographers and other businesses."

The 48-page brochure is full of advice about how and where to get married.

It includes information on legal formalities, suitable venues, ceremonies, wedding traditions, marriage vows, promises and even beauty tips and catering ideas.

The publication, which has been supported by Oxfordshire wedding businesses, is free to brides and grooms-to-be.

The county is home to more than 70 approved non-church venues where people can get married.

These include the Roman Doric Temple at Wroxton Abbey, near Banbury, and a barge at the Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford on Thames.

Superintendent registrar Alicja Gilroy said some couples found the sheer choice of venues daunting.

She said: "In Oxfordshire we try to make each and every wedding unique and special and so we provide a wide range of options from the venue itself to the music or marriage vows.

"Add to this the latest changes in wedding fashions, an ever-increasing choice of floral designs and catering options, the style of wedding car or the order of service and it's easy to see why planning the big day' is such an undertaking.

"Our new wedding guide will provide our couples with everything they need to know, as well as some ideas to help them with their choices."

The world's first university museum has also become the first museum in Oxford to be granted a wedding licence.

Marriages and civil partnerships can now be held in the Randolph sculpture gallery or the Mallett gallery of the Ashmolean in Beaumont Street.

Paula Falck, events manager at the museum, said: "The Ashmolean is a unique venue.

"The city centre location is ideal and now that we can accommodate both the ceremony and the reception, customers can create their own hi