Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is just days away. The store shelves are stocked with stuffed animals holding plush hearts, red-foiled chocolates and cards declaring love in all kinds of words.
What does the February 14th holiday mean to you? If you are like many, it might just be any other day. If you are like many others, you look forward to the day as an occasion during which to show how much you love your partner and to feel that love in return.
No matter how you and your love choose to share your appreciation for each other on Valentine’s Day, research suggests you avoid one specific mode of expression: a wedding. It turns out that one way to predict whether a couple will get divorced is to look at the date they chose for their wedding.
Researchers studies 1 million couples and looked at their marriages and their rates of divorce. The couples from the large group who got married on special days such as Feb. 14 or days with numerical significance were more likely to get divorced than the couples whose weddings occurred on more random dates.
Why would dates make a difference in the rate of divorce? The researchers’ theory is that cool numbers or something like a Valentine’s theme wedding might say something about a couple’s (or one party’s) priorities. Focusing on how cute a Cupid-themed wedding might be rather than on what a couple truly needs and wants out of marriage can set that marriage up for hardship.
A lot goes into a marriage. Staying with someone forever is hard; for some it is impossible for the sake of their well-being. Maybe you or your spouse were blinded by the fun of planning a wedding and now an unhealthy reality has set in. Maybe you want this to be the last Valentine’s Day in your marriage where you are wishing for more. Turn to a divorce lawyer who knows how to help you move forward.