Flip on the TV, open the latest tabloid or scroll through wedding boards on Pinterest, and it seems like our public is obsessed with marriage fever. The love doctor ought to recommend a cheap budget, which has proven to decrease the chance of divorce in a recent study.
A study conducted by two Emory University researchers, Andrew Francis and Hugo Mialon,examined 3,000 U.S. married couples, looking for indicators that would predict divorce. One of the findings unsurprisingly pointed to a high rate of divorce for those who threw expensive weddings.
Francis and Mialon concluded "our findings provide little evidence to support the validity of the wedding industry’s general message that connects expensive weddings with positive marital outcomes," The Atlantic reported.
Their study suggests a deeper issue: Maybe these elaborate celebrations allow couples to cover the flaws in their relationship with pretty pictures and fancy food. This then begs the question, shouldn’t the wedding be a celebration of two people, not a show for the audience?
“Perhaps ill-matched couples use giant diamonds or flashy weddings to cover up the cracks in their emotional foundations,” Olga Khazan of The Atlantic said.
Audiences see this on television daily through popular shows like Bridezillas and Platinum Weddings that follow brides and grooms who pump thousands of dollars into their ceremonies and receptions. The scripts are filled with over-the-top drama surrounding the bridal party, who are more-often-than-not unsatisfied with some aspect of the planning process.
"Four Weddings" is the biggest culprit of them all, pitting four brides against each other to judge and rank each other’s wedding. The winner, who usually has the biggest budget, gets a free destination honeymoon from the show.
We broadcast big celebrity weddings on our tabloid apps and follow the TV coverage of the dress, the ceremony, the guests, etc. Future brides turn green with envy of the lavish photos capturing the fun time that came with a million-dollar price tag.
“In other words, Bridezilla equals Divorcezilla,” Randal Olson said of the research. “Don’t let advertisers fool you into spending your life savings on your wedding.”
Other important factors, according to the study, that determined rates of divorce were weddings attendance and going on a honeymoon. The study suggests a larger wedding shows promise for a couple, because they see more support from their family and friends than a small ceremony. Going on a honeymoon gives couples the time they need to let the idea of being married sink in, Francis and Mialon add.
All of these factors found from the study lead to one common theme: We need to make sure the relationship is solid before loosely tying the knot and hoping for the best.
“We all are romantics at heart, but if we don’t establish good habits at the beginning of a relationship, we probably won’t apply them later either, thereby ensuring no happily ever after,” Joe Duran, CEO of wealth advising firm United Capital in California, told the New York Post.
But take all of this with a grain of salt, as this opinion comes from an unmarried 19-year-old. It seems like some of the highest points of the marriage are actually during the wedding. Young girls start planning their ceremonies at young ages, coming up with a dream without an important planner: who the groom is!
Weddings, marriage, and love shouldn’t focused on big bucks that goes into announcing the relationship to the world.
Reach the columnist at rsmouse@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @BeccaSmouse
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
