Fairytale Wedding

Happily ever after…only if you go CHEAP!?

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.

Planning the “perfect wedding?” Venue, catering, rings, dresses– CHA-CHING! So much money! Is it worth it? Does a pricey wedding guarantee a lasting marriage?

Andrew Francis-Tan and Hugo Mialon from Emory University surveyed over three thousand married people in the US. They asked questions about how long the couple had dated, engagement expenses, and wedding attendance. All participants were under sixty years old when they married. The researchers also accounted for the age and income of the couples in the study. Finally, they popped the big question- how long had they been married?

Turns out, cheap engagement rings and weddings lead to longer-lasting marriages! Particularly, weddings costing one thousand dollars or less lowered chances of divorce. Two to four thousand dollar engagement rings? Speed-up break-ups!

The wedding industry lures us in with fairy tales of grand, expensive weddings. But they aren’t necessarily true!

Maybe diamonds AREN’T forever! Fruitcake is the only thing that lasts.