Running head: IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

Is Planning a Costly Wedding Worth the Time and Money?

Adriane DAmato
James Madison University

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

Abstract
The research question that I chose is: Is it worth it to have a big/costly wedding when the divorce
rate is so high? I grew up with divorced parents and know many people whose parents are also
divorced, so I chose this question because I find divorce to be a commonality in todays world.
While divorce is common, so are mega-weddings, which does not seem to match up to me. It is
widely thought that these expensive weddings lead to debt or divorce, therefor I did research on
these factors. This question is important to my peers not in a time sensitive way, but because they
need to understand the factors that go into couples divorcing and the effect that wedding debt
may or may not have have on this.

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

Is Planning a Costly Wedding Worth the Time and Money?

It is a common myth in todays society that financial disparities between couples, or debt
attained by one or both parties, are the current leading causes of divorce. This is widely believed
partly because of the prominence of mega-weddings in our media and culture. As a result of
media broadcasting enormous weddings, such as those of Kim Kardashian and George Clooney,
these weddings are becoming more of a norm. Although most mega-weddings arent to the
Kardashian-West caliber, couples are still spending overgenerous amounts of money on their
own weddings. The money being spent in the nuptials industry has skyrocketed since just 2010,
and in addition, the divorce rates are also growing since past years. Many couples are asking if a
costly wedding is practical due to the divorce rate being so high, and due to the popular belief
that money issues lead to divorce.
The first source used for research was Wall Street Journal article by Brett Arends titled,
Mega-Weddings: Why You Should say I Dont. Arends explored if mega-weddings, or
couples overspending on weddings, were the cause of these couples divorcing. Arends came to
the conclusion that although overly expensive weddings are correlated with divorce that does not
mean that they are the cause of divorce. That being said, expensive weddings can still put a strain
on couples, especially those who are planning with money that they dont have. Another reason
that expensive weddings are correlated with divorce is because the type of people who feel the
need to have flashy, expensive weddings are usually seeking external validation, rather than love
and compatibility in their marriage (Arends, 2014).
A peer-reviewed study titled Financial Problems and Divorce: Do Demographic
Characteristics Strengthen the Relationship? was conducted on individuals who were married
to, or separated from their first spouse. The study highlighted that contrary to popular belief,

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

numerous studies on divorce find that money problems are usually the fourth or fifth leading
cause of divorce today, not the first. The study looked into the effect that demographics of
gender, age, presence of children and income had on money and divorce for the studied couples.
It was discovered that couples with young children and money problems were less likely to get
divorced, while couples with money problems who marry young (approximately under the age of
28) are more likely to get divorced (Andersen, 2015).
In correspondence with the idea that financial disparities cause divorce, it is also a
popular belief that when couples have debt their marriage becomes instable, thus leading to
divorce. In a study titled Household Debt and Marital Instability they also refuted this common
belief and found no significant evidence that debt causes divorce. Rather than the strain of debt,
the study found that looming financial liabilities, such as mortgages or property ownership, are
the factors that increase the probability of divorce. Also, household income can be closely related
to divorce. Essentially, this study found that while sudden strain or realized debt is not tied to
divorce, constant money issues such as low income or looming mortgages are correlated with
divorce. (Chang, Lee)
Both studies refute the idea that debt is the number one cause of divorce. Financial
Problems and Divorce: Do Demographic Characteristics Strengthen the Relationship? is an indepth study of demographics as they relate to money and marriage. Even though it looked deeply
into each demographic, the study acknowledges the fact that many factors contribute to a divorce
and couldnt determine that debt was the number one cause. Household Debt and Marital
Instability also found no significant evidence that financial strain was the leading cause of
divorce, it pointed out, the relationship between household financial strain and divorce may
not be as evident as what the perception-based statistics claim (Chang, Lee p. 609).

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

The study Financial Problems and Divorce, is not only similar with the other study, but
also with the Wall Street Journal article. Both were inconclusive on the actual causes of divorce
rates rising. The study concluded that no single demographic of the ones researched were a
prominent, leading cause of divorce. Andersen noted in 2015 that, this study does not lend
support to the popular belief that money problems are the number one cause of divorce (p.
157). In the article Mega Weddings: Why you Should say I Dont, Arends also didnt find a
leading cause of divorce, but the article examined a study done by Emery University on U.S.
adults, and in 2014 Arends confirmed, that women whose weddings had cost more than $20,000
ended up getting divorced 60% more often than those whose weddings were cheaper (para. 7).
His findings were that expensive weddings have a link to likeliness of divorce, rather than being
the cause.
Although both studies asked comparable questions and turned out to have similar
findings, they were done in different manners. The study Household Debt and Marital
Instability was done on couples from Korea who were either still married or divorced. It didnt
specify whether it was the couples first marriage or not, while in Financial Problems and
Divorce each marriage that was studied was the first marriage of both parties. Also contrasting
the first study, this one was done on couples from the United States. These are key differences to
note because different issues could arise between couples who are in a second marriage rather
than a first, as well as the different economic situations in the U.S. and in Korea.
Research studies and newspaper articles evaluate topics from different viewpoints. The
studies make factual claims on topics which they discuss and this particular article, MegaWeddings: Why you should say I Dont, addresses more psychological or emotion claims. The
studies are done in order to answer specific questions, while the facts that are within the

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

newspaper article are basic percentages, and more overarching of the distinct facts given in the
studies. Arends finds that shallow people tend to have extravagant weddings because of their
need for external validation, and this leads to divorce for reasons more related to problems with
emotional connection. Another emotional claim Arends finds is what he refers to as the
doomsday machine or, an extravagant wedding followed by a relatively short and very
unhappy marriage (Arends, para. 16). This signifies people getting caught up in planning an
extravagant wedding when they have doubts about the relationship. The big wedding is the
doomsday machine because they cant get out of the plans when their spouse, friends and family
are all expecting so much.
This newspaper article is fairly reliable because it is backed up by credible studies about
wedding cost and divorce specifically, but it does not have as many facts as the scholarly
sources. Although there arent as many facts within the article itself, it is linked to the study so
that the reader can get more information if they so choose. The Wall Street Journal is a respected,
reliable newspaper, and Arends is a well published personal finance columnist. Overall this
source was perfect for my personal research in length and relevance to my topic. The first
scholarly source I used, a study titled, Financial Problems and Divorce: Do Demographic
Characteristics Strengthen the Relationship? is an extremely credible source. The study was in
depth and relevant to my topic. For my personal research it was very informative but some of the
tables were beyond my comprehension and somewhat difficult to understand. That being said,
the information in the essay portion was easy to grasp and aided in changing my viewpoint on
my topic.

Household Debt and

Marital Instability: Evidence from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study was another
credible scholarly source I used in my research. This study was also in depth and relevant to my

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

topic but was extremely lengthy and almost had too much information for my purposes. This
study additionally aided in changing my view on my research question.

Before I began doing

research on this topic my viewpoint was that spending a significant amount of money on a
wedding was unreasonable and not worth it, even if it would not put you in debt. With the
divorce rate being so high I found it irrational, but the research that I have done changed my
mind. I learned that the causes of divorce arent as cut and dry as the media portrays them to be;
debt is not the number one cause of divorce and extravagant weddings are not proven to cause
strain that leads to divorce. Expensive weddings should not be ruled out solely because of the
divorce rate, and there are many factors that couples should take into account when making this
decision. My research showed me that couples should have a strong foundation, emotionally and
financially, and plan the wedding that desire, not a wedding planned to impress others. These
factors are important but the likeliness of divorce is not easily determined in any couple, and
debt is not the only influence. If an extravagant wedding is what both parties in a couple desire
and they can afford it without having an immense amount of debt they can still have a successful
marriage.

IS PLANNING A COSTLY WEDDING WORTH THE TIME

References
Chang, Y., & Lee, K. (n.d.). Household Debt and Marital Instability: Evidence from the Korean
Labor and Income Panel Study. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 27(4), 675-691.
Retrieved March 15, 2016.
Andersen, J. D. (2015). Financial Problems and Divorce: Do Demographic Characteristics
Strengthen the Relationship?. Journal Of Divorce & Remarriage, 43(1/2), 149-162. Retrieved
March 15, 2016.
Arends, B. (2014, October 3). Mega-Weddings: Why You Should Say I Dont. Wall Street
Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/mega-weddings-why-youshould-say-i-dont-1412349202