Couples in North Carolina who choose the most convenient day for their wedding might fare better than those who insist on getting married only on a special date, such as Valentine’s Day. A study by researchers in Australia found a correlation between some wedding dates and a higher possibility of divorce.
According to the researchers at the University of Melbourne, who examined data on one million marriages, Valentine’s Day was the wedding day that resulted in the most divorces. For the February 14 marriages, more than 10% ended after five years and more than 20% were over after nine years.
However, the study found that certain other dates were risky as well. For example, some couples chose a date like September 9, 1999, so they would have a wedding date of 9/9/99. These couples also had a higher overall divorce rate. Choosing particular wedding dates might indicate a couple who is more focused on a perfect wedding day than looking ahead to the marriage.
Marriage can present many challenges over the years, and couples who do not discuss major issues ahead of time, such as their attitudes about money, children and general life goals, may find themselves in conflict. In some cases, these conflicts cannot be resolved, and the couple decides on divorce. A couple who is divorcing because of money conflicts is likely to face some of those same conflicts during the divorce process. If one person made the majority of the income and put away some of that income into retirement savings, the person may still be obligated to split some of the retirement savings with an ex-spouse. Since North Carolina is an equitable distribution state, a judge has some discretion in deciding how property is divided. Couples may also negotiate property division and other divorce issues outside of court.