Valentine's Day weddings more likely to end in divorce

Updated
A couple on their wedding
A couple on their wedding


It sounds incredibly romantic – but if you're planning to tie the knot next Valentine's Day, you might want to think again. Research shows that couples who get married on February 14th are more likely to divorce.

See also: Number of marriages in 2013 fell as people superstitious of number 13

See also: Tom Hanks poses for couple's wedding photos

Researchers at the University of Melbourne say that couples who get married on special days – such as February 14th or dates like 9/9/99 - are more likely to end up in the divorce courts.

Tracking the progress of one million couples, the study found that by their fifth anniversary, 11% of Valentine's Day marriages and 10% of same number dates had divorced, as opposed to 8% of ordinary date marriages.

Fast forward to nine years after the wedding, and 21% of Valentines Day marriages and 19% of special number marriages had called it quits.

However, it's not the date that dooms a couple's chances. Instead, it seems that people who favour "gimmick dates" have certain traits in common.

Study authors Dr Jan Kabátek and Professor David Ribar believe that people who get married on ordinary dates are more influenced by characteristics of their relationships and their compatibility, unlike those who choose to wed on special dates.

"People who got married on special dates were more likely to have been married before and more likely to have children already,' said Professor Ribar.

"We also found that spouses who married on special dates were less alike, in terms of education and ages, than spouses who married on ordinary dates," said Dr Kabátek.

"We also found that brides who married on Valentine's Day were more likely to be pregnant on their wedding day than those who married on ordinary dates," he said.

It's possible that the planning of the wedding on this "special" day gets ahead of preparing for the marriage that happens after the big day.

If the relationship is right, then there's nothing wrong with getting married on a plain old Tuesday.

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