It’s one of the most romantic days of the year and has traditionally always proved popular among couples wishing to tie the knot.

But despite lovers across the district celebrating Valentine’s Day, the number of weddings being held today has taken a dramatic fall.

The Bradford and Keighley Register Office has just three weddings organised for today, whereas in previous years the day has seen up to a dozen couples tying the knot.

Pam Midgley, superintendent registrar at the office, couldn’t put her finger on why such a fall had been seen this year.

She said: “It varies quite a lot, but there would probably be a dozen weddings sometimes, so it’s quite a reduction.

“I really don’t know why. It is a day where you would expect more people to get married than, for argument’s sake, an ordinary Tuesday.

“I don’t think it’s the recession, not when the overall number of weddings isn’t dropping.

“If overall numbers were falling through the floor then you might think that was the reason, but I don’t really think it is.”

Meanwhile, staff at the British Heart Foundation shop, in Ivegate, Bradford, have been inundated with Valentine’s Day messages, which have now found pride of place in the front window.

Manager Anne-Marie Bannister said up to 50 messages of devotion had been sent in to loved ones, family members and the charity itself, as part of a campaign to raise funds.

She said: “Our window is covered – we only started this last year so we have done a lot better this year.

“There are some personal messages, some lovey-dovey ones and there are some messages to the heart foundation itself, saying what a good job it does, so it’s quite varied.”

In Bingley, florist Julia Maher-Clarke has been selling Valentine bouquets from her shop, Flower Couture, in Main Street, to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

There will also be a trio of female singers from Bingley Grammar School’s sixth form performing arts course serenading customers at the shop today.

Mrs Maher-Clarke said: “February is BHF’s fundraising month and my mum passed away with heart problems, so I just thought it would be a good idea to give five per cent of the value of bouquets to them.”

And a Valentine’s dance at Ilkley’s Clarke Foley Centre raised £1,200 for two charities.

Time Warp provided the music for the event at the centre on Saturday. Organisers say the final donation to Marie Curie Cancer care and Yorkshire Cancer Research will be £600 each