Gay 'marriages' over 3,000 mark

Sir Elton John's is the highest-profile civil partnership so far

There were 3,648 civil partnership ceremonies between 21 December and 31 January, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Male couples formed the most unions, with 2,510 ceremonies compared with 1,138 female partnerships.

Same-sex couples have been able to form a civil partnership in England and Wales since 21 December.

They grant rights in areas such as employment and pensions, but are not officially regarded as marriages.

High-profile partnership

Brighton and Hove held 126 ceremonies - the most in the country.

Westminster, which held 121 ceremonies, was the second most popular place for gay marriages, followed by Kensington and Chelsea, where 105 unions took place.

Kent, Richmond, East Sussex, Devon, Islington and West Sussex are among other parts of the country which have hosted high numbers of civil partnerships.

Nearly 700 ceremonies took place on the first day the arrangements came into force.

Sir Elton John and his long-term partner David Furnish, who "wed" at Windsor's Guildhall, Berkshire, have had the highest-profile civil partnership to date.