Blog: Why Simple Marriages Are More Successful Than Expensive Marriages
If you are from the middle or upper-middle class of Indian society and feel social pressure to celebrate an extravagant marriage ceremony, you should immediately resist this social pressure. Have confidence and host your ceremony free from all kinds of luxurious show-off. This is because a study in the USA found that expensive marriages are not often successful.
Andrew M. Francis and Hugo M. Mialon, in their insightful study titled “‘A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration,” discovered a fascinating inverse relationship between wedding expenses and marriage duration. The study highlighted three key findings:
Firstly, the study reveals that relatively high spending on the engagement ring is inversely associated with marriage duration among male respondents. In other words, the more extravagant the ring, the shorter the marriage tends to be. In India, this can be interpreted in the role of jewellery worn by the groom or bride in marriage ceremonies.
A study in the USA found that expensive marriages are not often successful.
Secondly, the amount spent on the wedding ceremony also impacts marriage duration. Couples who splurge on lavish ceremonies may find their unions to be less enduring. In India, the more attendees, especially from the business and political class, the more influential the marriage is perceived by the people. However, all this big amount of expenditure on marriage does not guarantee a successful and happy marriage.
Thirdly, the famous slogan “A Diamond is Forever” may be enchanting, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a lifelong marriage. Real-life relationships don’t always follow the fairy-tale script. So, perhaps it’s worth considering that a lasting marriage isn’t necessarily tied to extravagant wedding expenses. Sometimes, simplicity and genuine connection matter more than the price tag.
This study is really worth reading. It dispels many myths surrounding successful marriages, which are deeply rooted in Indian society. Indians in all parts of the country suffer a lot because of these myths and social pressure. Tragedies are all around us. We should provide an inclusive, humble and manageable culture of marriage ceremonies. In fact, simplicity should be promoted as a fashion of civilized world.
