The cost of weddings have drastically inflated over the course of history, according to Unraveling The Knot: Political Economy and Cultural Hegemony in Wedding Media, "The U.S. bridal industry is estimated at between $50 and $70 billion annually; the potential for this market is huge: Nearly 2.4 million marriages are performed each year. The investment of money and time that goes into the traditional wedding, with the average "big" wedding costing some $20,000, makes it not only a major event, but also a major expense for those starting married life; more than half of couples who choose to hold a wedding pay for it all themselves, which can lead to starting their married life in debt" (Engstrom, 2008). With more couples paying for their own weddings, the financial strain that paying for a large scale event is tangible.
In a recent study, it has been shown that there is a correlation between high nuptial costs and marriage longevity. According to 'A Diamond is Forever' and Other Fairytales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration, "Spending between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring is significantly associated with an increase in the hazard of divorce in the sample of men. Specifically, in the sample of men, spending between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring is associated with a 1.3 times greater hazard of divorce as compared to spending between $500 and $2,000. Furthermore, spending $1,000 or less on the wedding is significantly associated with a decrease in the hazard of divorce in the sample of all persons and in the sample of men, and spending $20,000 or more on the wedding is associated with an increase in the hazard of divorce in the sample of women. In particular, as compared with spending between $5,000 and $10,000 on the wedding, spending less than $1,000 is associated with half the hazard of divorce in the sample of men, and spending $20,000 or more is associated with 1.6 times the hazard of divorce in the sample of women" (Francis & Mialon, 2014).
The wedding industry has created an atmosphere where the display of love is equated with cost, if a man doesn't spend two months pay on a ring he doesn't truly love you. The industry does not take the desire to share his life with another person as paramount, it is the ring that shows what the man truly feels for his partner. Chrys Ingraham observes in White Weddings: Romancing Heterosexuality in Popular Culture, "The central marketing strategy for the world's largest diamond-mining organization, De Beers, is to convince consumers that "diamonds are forever." Once you accept this slogan, you also believe that you're making a life-long investment, not just purchasing a bauble for your bride! In fact, De Beers spends about $57 million each year on this advertising campaign" (Ingraham, 1999, pg. 51).
What American couples perceive as the most important factor leading into their marriage, is the quality and price of the engagement ring. It has become a cultural belief that the effectiveness of an engagement ring is in its price, not in the message it is meant to convey. Sadly, the wedding industry's unrealistic portrayal of weddings and their trappings have created additional stress for men who plan to propose. Given the pressure to buy expensive rings and hold extravagant wedding ceremonies, it is not surprising that many marriages disintegrate due to financial stress.
In a recent study, it has been shown that there is a correlation between high nuptial costs and marriage longevity. According to 'A Diamond is Forever' and Other Fairytales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration, "Spending between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring is significantly associated with an increase in the hazard of divorce in the sample of men. Specifically, in the sample of men, spending between $2,000 and $4,000 on an engagement ring is associated with a 1.3 times greater hazard of divorce as compared to spending between $500 and $2,000. Furthermore, spending $1,000 or less on the wedding is significantly associated with a decrease in the hazard of divorce in the sample of all persons and in the sample of men, and spending $20,000 or more on the wedding is associated with an increase in the hazard of divorce in the sample of women. In particular, as compared with spending between $5,000 and $10,000 on the wedding, spending less than $1,000 is associated with half the hazard of divorce in the sample of men, and spending $20,000 or more is associated with 1.6 times the hazard of divorce in the sample of women" (Francis & Mialon, 2014).
The wedding industry has created an atmosphere where the display of love is equated with cost, if a man doesn't spend two months pay on a ring he doesn't truly love you. The industry does not take the desire to share his life with another person as paramount, it is the ring that shows what the man truly feels for his partner. Chrys Ingraham observes in White Weddings: Romancing Heterosexuality in Popular Culture, "The central marketing strategy for the world's largest diamond-mining organization, De Beers, is to convince consumers that "diamonds are forever." Once you accept this slogan, you also believe that you're making a life-long investment, not just purchasing a bauble for your bride! In fact, De Beers spends about $57 million each year on this advertising campaign" (Ingraham, 1999, pg. 51).
What American couples perceive as the most important factor leading into their marriage, is the quality and price of the engagement ring. It has become a cultural belief that the effectiveness of an engagement ring is in its price, not in the message it is meant to convey. Sadly, the wedding industry's unrealistic portrayal of weddings and their trappings have created additional stress for men who plan to propose. Given the pressure to buy expensive rings and hold extravagant wedding ceremonies, it is not surprising that many marriages disintegrate due to financial stress.
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