When couples in Alameda County set their wedding dates, divorce may be the last thing on their minds. Couples may choose a specific date for any number of reasons. In some cases, they may opt for a date with special personal significance; in other cases, the date reflects the best time for most family members to attend. People may also choose a wedding date for a discount or better rate at the wedding or reception venue. According to one study, however, a couple’s choice of wedding date could be correlated with their later likelihood of divorce.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne examined marriage and divorce records for 1 million couples, and they found that couples who chose specific romantic or trendy dates might be more likely to divorce later on. They found that Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, is the single worst day to get married in terms of its reflection on the duration of a marriage. Within 5 years of the wedding, 11 percent of those who married on Valentine’s were divorced. Within 9 years, 21 percent had decided to separate.
“Special number days” like Sept. 9, 1999, were also correlated with a higher likelihood of divorce relatively soon after the wedding. There are a number of factors that could lead to these results. Some couples may be more focused on the wedding than the marriage to come. In other cases, couples with serious problems may opt for a grand romantic gesture to prove their love.
In any kind of marriage, people can discover serious incompatibilities that make continuing the relationship impossible, from approaches to monogamy to handling finances. A family law attorney may help a spouse thinking about divorce to learn more about the potential consequences and provide representation in efforts to achieve a fair settlement around property division and child custody.