Couples Who Spend Big On Weddings Likely to Divorce Sooner, Find Scientists

Couples who spend thousands on lavish weddings are likely to divorce sooner than those who enjoy more modest nuptials.

Researchers Andrew Francis and Hugo Mialon at Emory University in Atlanta found that women whose weddings cost $20,000 (£12,450) or more were 3.5 times more likely to end up divorced than those whose weddings cost $5,000 to $10,000.

The findings come after two extravagant celebrity weddings dominated headlines this year, with George Clooney's wedding to lawyer Amal Alamuddin in Venice reportedly costing £8m, and rapper Kanye West's wedding to reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Florence in May costing a similar amount.

Kardashian's previous marriage to basketball star Kris Humphries in 2011 cost an estimated £6m, and lasted 72 days.

"We find evidence that marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony," the authors write in a paper published by the Social Science Authors Network.

They also found that men who spend $2,000 to $4,000 on an engagement ring were 1.3 times more likely to get divorced than men who spent $500 to $2,000.

However, there is a caveat, with the authors noting that those who skimp too much and spend less than $500 experiencing higher divorce rates too.

The study notes the commodification weddings, with bridal magazines in the 1950s advising couples to spend two months on planning weddings, while now they advise sensing 12 months planning, and include a checklist of essential tasks twice as long as 60 years ago.

"The wedding industry has consistently sought to link wedding spending with long-lasting marriages," the professors write.

"We find that marriage duration is either not associated or inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony."