Weddings vs. Marriages

June 1st, 2007 by Nina Atwood

It’s that time of year – wedding season! Look around and you’ll see the signs everywhere – bridal magazines clog the newsstand with models wearing glorious ten thousand dollar dresses. Jewelry stores run ads featuring thirty thousand dollar engagement rings. Caterers and hotels are busy pulling together the last-minute details for their clients’ hundred thousand dollar bashes. Let’s face it – we are obsessed with weddings this time of year! But where does the marriage part begin and what does it have to do with the wedding?

In 2005, close to $125 billion – about the size of Ireland’s GDP – was spent on weddings, raising the average cost of weddings to just over $26,000. That’s average cost, so we know that lots of weddings cost much more than that. Parents are balking over the high cost, so the couple often pcks up a large part of the bill. Post-wedding, their wedding debt causes financial problems, not a good way to begin a life together, especially when you consider the impact: financial issues are one of the top three reasons that couples later divorce.

Now let’s compare the cost of weddings to the cost of premarital counseling. On average, a couple can complete a premarital course that will greatly increase their odds of staying together, plus some individual counseling, for somewhere between $500 and $3,000. Let’s see: wedding = $26,000; counseling = $3,000. Price tag on wedding yields what benefit? Some great photos and a nice party for all of you and your family’s friends and acquaintances. Price tag on premarital counseling yields a happier, more stable marriage. This is like an IQ test, yet it’s one that many, many couples fail.

Entry Filed under: Marriage