Tokyo ( CNN ) -- In her cramped downtown office where wedding dress displays fight for space with file cabinets , Miyuki Uekusa has been busy answering the phone for the past month . `` Before the quake , many of our members were just thinking about marriage vaguely , '' said the professional matchmaker , whose agency Marry Me has sent 30 couples to the altar since it launched two years ago . `` After experiencing the tremors and repeatedly seeing the tragic images on TV , they felt the fear of being alone and wanted to find a partner in life . '' As existing members turn more serious about going on dates , Uekusa says phone inquiries about joining her club have gone up 30 % since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11 , killing more than 14,000 people . On this Wednesday afternoon , a 49-year-old makeup artist -- who wants to be known simply as Yoko -- showed up at the Marry Me office to sign up as a new member . Despite the hefty price tag of a $ 1,200 sign-up fee and a $ 120 monthly charge , Yoko says the natural disasters and the subsequent nuclear crisis have jolted her into adjusting priorities in life . `` I need to act now , before another massive disaster strikes , '' she said . Experts are not surprised by the seemingly sudden change of heart on marriage , especially among women . `` In Japan , women take the initiative to get married -- and the trend for them had been to focus on their career and enjoy single life , '' explained Ritsuko Matsui , a prominent psychiatrist who counseled survivors of Japan 's last devastating quake around Kobe in 1995 , which left more than 6,000 people dead . `` Seeing heartwarming scenes of couples and families staying together in the face of recent tragedies has made many single women realize the importance of relationships . '' This new appreciation has turned the wedding industry into an unlikely bright spot in the gloomy Japanese economy , as other sectors ranging from manufacturing to tourism struggle to recover . Jewelers -- big and small -- have reported strong sales of engagement and wedding rings , in sharp contrast to slumping demand for other luxury items . Koji Fujimoto owns Concept Jewelry Works , a Tokyo boutique that specializes in custom jewelry . He has seen a 20 % jump in ring buyers since the disasters . `` After the quake , couples want to create something that commemorates their relationship and that they can hold forever , '' he said . At the Aldobrandini bridal shop a few blocks away , Maki Maruta echoes such sentiment . Trying on her Italian-made silk wedding gown for the first time , the bride says she will walk down the aisle on May 28 with a new sense of purpose . `` The disasters reminded me the importance of family , '' Maruta said . `` It 's so important to have someone who is precious to you . ''
Marriage industry is rare bright spot in Japan . 30 % more people call matchmaker after disasters . Importance of family highlighted , woman says .