You know the expression bigger is always better? Well, a new study has been released to further back that up by stating the bigger the wedding, the happier the marriage. That’s right folks, big weddings mean big happiness.
Based on the findings of The National Wedding Project, researchers from the University of Denver compiled data collected from 2007-2008 on unmarried Americans aged 18-34. Over the next five years, over 400 of those participants got married. Researchers then assessed those 400 marriages and measured their levels of marital happiness. And surprise, surprise. The study found that those couples who had a wedding instead of eloping, reported happier marriages.
Even further, those couples who had weddings with 150+ guests ranked highest on the scale of marital bliss. Now, before you go assuming that those with heftier pockets can usually afford bigger weddings, that’s simply not the case here. When researchers factored in income and education, it made no difference whatsoever.
These findings naturally raise the question of why? Why is it that the higher your guest count, the higher your likelihood of a happy married life? Well, researchers believe that it’s because the more who witness your nuptials, the more pressure the couple feels to uphold their vows and work on their marriage instead of calling it quits. Yes, the ego wins again. Couples are more determined to make it work in fear of the public shame of divorce or separation. There’s a sense of accountability that comes with making a commitment in front of so many people.
Furthermore, researchers believe that big weddings mean a bigger network of family and friends to rely on for support, advice and encouragement when the going gets tough. Not to mention that those with large networks generally have different groups of friends from a variety of places, activities or their career meaning they also seek independent happiness instead of relying solely on their partner and home life.
Needless to say this is an interesting study. What do you think about the findings? Do you think they’re accurate or do you believe the size of a wedding has nothing to do with a happy marriage? Let us know in the comment section. We’d love to hear your thoughts!