Does a Bigger Wedding Mean a Better Marriage?

? Key Study

Title: “’A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration”

Authors: Andrew Francis-Tan and Hugo M. Mialon

Institution: Emory University

Published: 2014 (working paper, later widely cited)

? What the Study Found

Using survey data from over 3,000 U.S. adults who had been married:

Spending more than $20,000 on a wedding was significantly associated with a higher risk of divorce.

Spending $1,000–$5,000 was associated with lower divorce rates compared to very high spending.

Cheaper weddings (especially under $1,000) also had lower divorce rates than the high-cost ones.

Spending large amounts on engagement rings was also associated with higher divorce risk.

? Interpretation

The researchers suggested that:

• Financial stress from overspending may strain relationships early on.
• Extravagant weddings may reflect misaligned priorities or external pressures rather than internal commitment.
• Simpler, less materialistic weddings may align with more stable, values-driven relationships.

?? Caveats

• Correlation ? causation: Spending less doesn’t cause a better marriage, but it may reflect other healthier relationship factors.
• The data is U.S.-based and may not fully reflect trends in other cultures.

? Bottom Line

Yes — according to research, higher wedding spending is correlated with higher divorce rates, while modest spending is linked with more durable marriages. Simple, meaningful celebrations may serve couples better than extravagant ones.

Below are direct quotes from the 2014 Emory University study by Andrew Francis-Tan and Hugo M. Mialon titled:

“‘A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship Between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration”

? Key Quotes from the Paper

1. On wedding expenses and divorce:

“Relatively high spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony is positively associated with divorce.”

1. On lower wedding costs:

“We find evidence that marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony.”

1. Specific spending and divorce risk:

“In particular, spending $20,000 or more on the wedding is associated with a divorce rate 1.6 times higher than for those spending between $5,000 and $10,000.”

1. On financial stress:

“Debt stress associated with wedding expenses may help explain the relationship between wedding expenses and marital dissolution.”

1. On weddings under $1,000:

“Spending less than $1,000 on the wedding is significantly associated with lower risk of divorce compared to spending between $5,000 and $10,000.”

1. On ring spending:

“Spending between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring is associated with a 1.3 times greater hazard of divorce compared to spending between $500 and $2,000.”

1. On romantic expectations vs reality:

“Our findings provide little evidence to support the validity of the wedding industry’s general message that connects expensive weddings with positive marital outcomes.”