There are a million little tiny decisions that go into planning a wedding. However, even if a couple already has an ideal venue in mind or the perfect flowers, nothing can really fall into place until they settle on one, important thing — the date. California couples usually take a wide range of factors into account when picking that perfect date, but a new study indicates that one factor could be setting people on a path toward divorce and property division.
Out of the 365 possible days to get married in an average year, the one that couples may want to steer clear of is Feb. 14. Approximately 11 percent of all couples who say “I do” on Valentine’s Day end up divorcing within five years. Looking forward to nine years after the wedding date, 21 percent of couples will be legally separated.
Valentine’s Day is not the only guilty culprit for producing more divorces. Days with special dates, such as those with repeating numbers in the month, day and year are also more likely to have couples divorcing soon down the road. Researchers say these days are not bad luck, but that couples who focus on these types of cutesy dates might be more concerned with creating a perfect wedding day than they are with a happy marriage.
Of course many couples in California choose dates that are important to them, so this study should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt. After all, couples who married on all the other days of the year continue to get divorced, too. As such, preparing for important issues such as property division is still a good idea, which many choose to do through prenuptial agreements.
