According to the commercial, a diamond is forever—but unfortunately, your marriage may not be, depending on the size of your engagement ring.
A recent study from Emory University found that people who spent a lot of money on their engagement rings and/or wedding bands were more than likely to get divorced. In fact, men who paid between $2,000 to $4,000 for engagement rings were 1.3 times more likely to end up divorced than those who spent between $500 to $2,000.
Interestingly enough, brides-to-be who paid over $20,000 or more for their weddings were 3 1/2 times more likely to end up in divorce court than women who had more modest weddings.
So, what does the cost of your engagement ring ultimately say about your marriage? Well, researchers claim that the high cost of getting married (from the engagement ring to the honeymoon) places a huge amount of stress on those who are getting married. It often times forces couples to make financial decisions that might not ultimately be in their best interest—and can ultimately put their marriage at risk.
“Our findings provide little evidence to support the validity of the wedding industry’s general message that connects expensive weddings with positive marital outcomes,” stated the researchers.
There is one glimmer of hope, though. The study found that having many wedding guests (but not spending more money) led to longer marriages, as well as having an inexpensive honeymoon!