Couples who spend more money on engagement rings and wedding ceremonies face a higher risk of divorce, according to research by economists at Emory University.
The study examined data from 3,151 adult Americans who had been married at least once. Researchers Andrew Francis-Tan and Hugo Mialon investigated the connection between wedding expenditures and marriage duration, as reported by Scienceblog.
Participants reported the exact amounts spent on engagement rings and wedding ceremonies. The researchers accounted for family income, age at marriage, presence of children, prior cohabitation, and demographic characteristics, finding that the link between high spending and higher divorce rates remained consistent across groups.
Emory University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a private research institution known for quantitative economic and social research. Scienceblog is an online portal that publishes summaries of academic research papers.
Engagement Ring and Ceremony Costs
The study found distinct financial thresholds where divorce rates increased. Men who spent between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring were approximately 1.3 times more likely to be divorced at the time of the survey compared to men who spent between $500 and $2,000.
Differences were even more pronounced regarding overall wedding costs. Women whose weddings cost over $20,000 were about 3.5 times more likely to be divorced than women whose ceremonies cost between $5,000 and $10,000. Conversely, couples who spent less than $1,000 on their wedding recorded the lowest overall divorce rates.
Guest Numbers and Social Support
While spending higher sums correlated with marital breakdown, inviting a higher number of guests had the opposite effect. The researchers found that hosting a larger crowd of relatives, friends, and acquaintances was associated with longer marriages.
This positive effect depended specifically on the number of attendees rather than the size of the wedding budget. After controlling for expenses, couples with more guests divorced less often on average. The authors suggested that having many close people present at the ceremony may strengthen social support for the married couple.
Financial Stress and Relationship Symbolism
The economists offered several potential explanations for the findings, including financial stress. High wedding expenses can create debt and place additional economic pressure on a new family, leading to conflicts between spouses.
Alternatively, individuals who feel insecure about their upcoming marriage may rely more heavily on external symbols of commitment, spending larger sums on rings or elaborate events. However, the researchers noted that they do not claim either specific factor definitively explains the statistical results.
The findings challenge the common belief that costly rings and lavish celebrations ensure a lasting relationship. Related reporting indicates that women make six common errors when choosing a wedding dress, with experts identifying ongoing catalog browsing after a purchase as the worst mistake. Further research also indicates that couples who spend excessively on weddings are generally unhappy in their marriages.
