A new survey has revealed the worst possible day to get married.
The study, was conducted by economists at the University of Melbourne. It was entitled ‘Not Your Lucky Day: Romantically and Numerically Special Wedding Date Divorce Risks’.
The Melbourne team studied data regarding over one million marriages.
They found that certain dates were far more popular than others. These dates included special days such as Valentine’s Day, or dates which appeared aesthetically pleasing when written down such as the symmetrical 9/9/99.
However, the team found that couples who tied the knot on these type of days were less likely to live happily ever after than those who marry on a ‘normal’ day.
The statistics showed that 11% of couples who married on Valentine’s Day were divorced or separated by the time of their fifth anniversary.
That was just ahead of ‘perfect date’ weddings – which saw 10% of marriages fail before the five-year mark.
By contrast, couples who married on an ordinary date were more likely to see their marriage last beyond five years. Only 8% of marriages had broken down within five years of an ‘ordinary date’ wedding.
Professor David Ribar was the lead researcher. He said: “People who got married on special dates were more likely to have been married before and more likely to have children already.
“Couples who marry on ordinary dates may be more strongly influenced by characteristics of their relationships and their compatibility than couples who marry on special dates.”
Dr Kabátek, a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, added: “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.
“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.”
So, as romantic as a Valentine’s Day wedding may seem, statistics show that a marriage is more likely to last if the couple tie the knot on an ‘ordinary’ day.
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling