Size Matters: Do Larger Weddings Predict Happier Marriages?

Excessive spending on the engagement ring and wedding also correlated with higher divorce rates. Couples who spent $1,000 or less on their big day had a lower than average rate of divorce. The more out of control a couple’s wedding budget grows, the shorter their marriage will tend to last.

Cost of wedding

The more out of control a couple’s wedding budget grows, the shorter their marriage will tend to last. A study by two Emory University economics professors found that women whose wedding cost more than $20,000 divorced at a rate roughly 1.6 times higher than women whose wedding cost between $5,000 and $10,000. And couples who spent $1,000 or less on their big day had a lower than average rate of divorce.

The wedding industry has long associated lavish weddings with longer-lasting marriages. However, the more out of control a couple’s wedding budget grows, the shorter their marriage will tend to last. Excessive spending on the engagement ring also correlated with higher divorce rates.

Couples in the United States spent an average of $29,858 for their big day in 2013 – a record high – according to a survey of 13,000 brides and grooms by wedding website TheKnot.com. The changes have been fueled by a planning industry that conflates big spending with love and commitment.

The type of couples who have a cheap wedding are the type that are a perfect match for each other. Couples who spend less on their wedding tend to have longer-lasting marriages than those who splurge.

Maybe it just takes couples with less experience longer to find the trouble spots in their relationship. All joshing aside, that's a mighty big claim on the basis of a 418-person sample size. Plus I automatically distrust any piece of research that references Las Vegas. Not to mention five years is hardly enough time to capture the full sweep of a marriage.

Excessive spending on engagement ring

A 2014 study by two Emory University economics professors found that couples who spent $1,000 or less on their big day had a lower than average rate of divorce. The study also found that couples who spend less on their wedding tend to have longer-lasting marriages than those who splurge.

The changes in wedding trends have been fueled by a planning industry that conflates big spending with love and commitment. The wedding industry has long associated lavish weddings with longer-lasting marriages.

The more out of control a couple’s wedding budget grows, the shorter their marriage will tend to last. The average wedding cost in the United States in 2013 was $29,858.

The changes in wedding trends have been fueled by a planning industry that conflates big spending with love and commitment. The wedding industry has long associated lavish weddings with longer-lasting marriages.

Wedding planning industry

The wedding planning industry has long associated lavish weddings with longer-lasting marriages. However, a study by two Emory University economics professors found that couples who spend less on their wedding tend to have longer-lasting marriages than those who splurge. The study also found that women whose wedding cost more than $20,000 divorced at a rate roughly 1.6 times higher than women whose wedding cost between $5,000 and $10,000.

The authors of the study did not examine why this correlation exists, but they floated a few theories. Professor Hugo M. Mialon, who co-authored the study with Andrew M. Francis, said, "It could be that the type of couples who have a [cheap wedding] are the type that are a perfect match for each other."

The wedding industry encourages couples to spend freely on everything from invitations and flowers to videographers and Champagne. Couples in the United States spent an average of $29,858 for their big day in 2013 – a record high – according to a survey of 13,000 brides and grooms by wedding website TheKnot.com.

Excessive spending on the engagement ring also correlated with higher divorce rates. Accouterments ranging from rented photo booths to sophisticated websites, and the lengthening of weddings to weekend-long events, help explain the rising costs of weddings. The changes have been fueled by a planning industry that conflates big spending with love and commitment.

The study's authors believe theirs is the first academic study to examine the correlation between wedding expenses and the length of marriages. The more out of control a couple’s wedding budget grows, the shorter their marriage will tend to last, according to the study.

Couples with less experience

Couples who spend less on their wedding tend to have longer-lasting marriages than those who splurge. A study by two economics professors at Emory University found a similar correlation between less-expensive engagement rings and lower divorce rates. The authors didn’t examine why, although they floated a few theories. “It could be that the type of couples who have a … (cheap wedding) are the type that are a perfect match for each other,” said Professor Hugo M. Mialon, who co-authored the study with Andrew M. Francis.

The wedding industry has long associated lavish weddings with longer-lasting marriages. Couples in the United States spent an average of $29,858 for their big day in 2013 – a record high – according to a survey of 13,000 brides and grooms by wedding website TheKnot.com. The changes have been fueled by a planning industry that conflates big spending with love and commitment.

A 2014 study found that couples with less experience may take longer to find the trouble spots in their relationship. Maybe it just takes couples with less experience longer to find the trouble spots in their relationship. All joshing aside, that's a mighty big claim on the basis of a 418-person sample size. Plus I automatically distrust any piece of research that references Las Vegas. Not to mention five years is hardly enough time to capture the full sweep of a marriage.

Happiness of marriage

Excessive spending on the engagement ring also correlates with higher divorce rates. Couples in the United States spent an average of $29,858 for their big day in 2013 – a record high – according to a survey of 13,000 brides and grooms by wedding website TheKnot.com. The more out of control a couple’s wedding budget grows, the shorter their marriage will tend to last, according to a new study by two Emory University economics professors.

The study found that women whose wedding cost more than $20,000 divorced at a rate roughly 1.6 times higher than women whose wedding cost between $5,000 and $10,000. And couples who spent $1,000 or less on their big day had a lower than average rate of divorce. The study’s authors didn’t examine why, although they floated a few theories. “It could be that the type of couples who have a … (cheap wedding) are the type that are a perfect match for each other”, said Professor Hugo M. Mialon, who co-authored the study with Andrew M. Francis.

The wedding industry has long associated lavish weddings with longer-lasting marriages. The changes have been fueled by a planning industry that conflates big spending with love and commitment. If you’re serving burgers and Bud Light at your backyard wedding, don’t worry. You and your spouse may have the last laugh. A new study found that couples who spend less on their wedding tend to have longer-lasting marriages than those who splurge. The study, by two economics professors at Emory University, found a similar correlation between less-expensive engagement rings and lower divorce rates.

Maybe it just takes couples with less experience longer to find the trouble spots in their relationship. All joshing aside, that's a mighty big claim on the basis of a 418-person sample size. (Plus I automatically distrust any piece of research that references Las Vegas.) Not to mention five years is hardly enough time to capture the full sweep of a marriage. So please continue to base your wedding, your marriage and your relationships in general on whatever metrics are most important to you.

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