Study: Couples Who Spend More On Wedding Have Shorter Marriages

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- According to a study, couples who have expensive weddings often end up having shorter-lived marriages than those who have cheaper weddings.

Andrew Francis and Hugo Mialon, two economics professors from Emory University, surveyed more than 3,000 people in the study and found that the more expensive a wedding is, the sooner the couple is likely to divorce. Meanwhile, couples who spent less than $1,000 on their wedding tend to have longer-lasting marriages.

Consumer Affairs reports that Francis and Mialon proposed that an expensive wedding could cause financial stress early in the marriage, leading to tension in the relationship, and according to Consumer Affairs, the top predictor of divorce is having arguments about money.

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The National Foundation for Credit Counseling had a number of recommendations to help lower wedding costs, such as finding a low-cost venue and avoiding destination weddings, researching seasonal rates for both the reception and the honeymoon and planning far in advance to allow time to build up some savings.

A recent study found that Pittsburgh is the 3rd most affordable city in the United States for weddings. According to TheWeddingReport.com, the average cost of a wedding in Allegheny County is $27,262.