Did You Know That Higher Cost Weddings Equal Higher Risk of Divorce!

Yes, one of the key facts about eloping that you will hear us talk about frequently here at WheretoElope.com is that it costs far less than a traditional big white wedding with all the trimmings. In fact, if you have had a chance to read our book you will know that eloping can save you up to 90% of the cost of an average wedding. We know that the money aspect is something that is very important to our couples, after all 72 % of you have told us yourselves via our ‘Why You Eloped’ poll that saving money is the most important factor in your decision to choose an elopement. That is why we were very excited to read about some new research by Randy Olson about the link between the higher cost weddings and the likelihood of it ending in divorce.

The Impact of Finances on Divorce Risk

Please check out Randy Olson’s research for yourself via his article, but the area that we are particularly interested in is, of course, the link between the cost of the wedding and the chance of it ending in divorce. As you can see from the graphic, the more you spend on your wedding the more likely it is that you will end up getting divorced. The average traditional wedding carries a price tag of just over $25,000. According to Olson’s research couples who spend more than $20,000 on their wedding are 46% more likely to get divorced! Compare that to the $2,500 average cost of an all inclusive elopement package and you can see that couples that elope in this price range are 18% less likely to get divorced. Plus those couples spending less than $1,000 on their wedding are 53% less likely to divorce.  If that isn’t a great advertisement for elopement then we don’t know what is!

Long-Lasting Marriages That Began With Elopement

The fact that elopements are more likely to last is not something that comes as a surprise to the team here at WhereToElope.com. In fact, way back at the start of 2014, we wrote about the wonderful love story of John and Ann Betar who held the honor of being America’s longest married couple having been married for 82 years and 252 days. The couple eloped in the most traditional sense – running away to get married so that Ann didn’t have to marry the older man chosen by her father. Everyone said that the elopement would make for an unhappy marriage, but they sure proved the naysayers wrong, didn’t they?

We have also talked about celebrity elopements and more importantly Better Midler’s elopement! Midler is something of a poster child for the stereotypical Las Vegas chapel elopement. In 1984 she married Martin Rochus Sebastian von Haselberg just weeks after the pair first met. The wedding took place in a wedding chapel on the Vegas strip and was even presided over by an Elvis impersonator! Did the marriage last? You bet it did! This year marks the couple’s 31st wedding anniversary!

What do you think? Are you part of a couple who eloped and has enjoyed a long and happy marriage? Did the fact that there was less financial pressure on you contribute to that? We would love to hear from you.