Gimmick Wedding Dates May Affect Likelihood of Divorce

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

Do you know a couple who intentionally chose to get married on a particular date based on how the month, day, and year coincided—January 2, 2003, for example, often written as 1/2/03? Or perhaps you know a couple who plan to get married on Valentine’s Day. While such choices are often seen as quirky or romantic, new research suggests that couples who marry on dates that may be considered gimmicky could be at a higher risk for divorce than those who choose more traditional dates.

Australian Study

Economists at the University of Melbourne in Australia were interested in learning more about the impact that a couple’s wedding day could have on the future of the marriage. The team cited previous research suggesting that expensive weddings and pricey engagement rings increased the risk of divorce while well-attended weddings with formal ceremonies decreased such risks. Looking to expand these ideas, the Australian team looked at more than one million Dutch marriages from 1999-2013 and examined how the choice of a wedding date fared for couples on average.

Interesting Dates

The team discovered that four distinct types of dates “were associated with exceptionally high numbers of weddings,” including:

• Valentine’s Day;
• Dates with the same number for the day, month, and year (e.g., 10/10/10);
• Dates with sequential numbers for the day, month, and year (e.g., 10/11/12); and
• Dates with mirror numbers for the day, month, and year (e.g., 20/08/2008, using the European date order convention).

The number of marriages taking place on “special days” such as these was, on average, three times greater than on “other days.” Unfortunately, however, the rate of divorce for marriages beginning on special days was up to 36 percent greater than those on other days. Couples who chose a special day and had never been married before showed the greatest likelihood for divorce.

Possible Reasons

The researchers are hesitant to pin the higher rate of divorce on the dates themselves. Instead, they see the choice of date as a revealing characteristic about the couple. Those who choose an unusual or gimmicky date may be more concerned about superficial matters than their other-date counterparts. “Couples who marry on ordinary dates may be more strongly influenced by characteristics of their relationships and their compatibility than couples who marry on special dates,” said Professor David Ribar, one of the authors of the study. The team also identified that spouses who chose special dates “were less alike, in terms of education and ages” than those marrying on ordinary dates, which could be factors in the durability of their marriages.

Thinking About Divorce?

Regardless of your wedding date, if you are considering a divorce, you need legal guidance. Contact an experienced Aurora family law attorney to get the answers you need to all of your divorce questions. Call 630-409-8184 to schedule a confidential consultation today.

Sources:

http://phys.org/news/2016-09-gimmick-date-divorce.html

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2844057