Could Quality of Marriage Depend on Size of Wedding Guest List?
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iStock/Thinkstock(DENVER) — The bigger the wedding guest list, the better the marriage?
As disconnected as that might sound, it’s true, according to University of Denver research professors Galena K. Rhoades and Scott M. Stanley, who conducted the study with University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project Director W. Bradford Wilcox.
For instance, among couples who invited 150 or more people to their wedding, 47 percent reported a high-quality marriage. Meanwhile, just 31 percent of couples with under 50 guests said they had a quality marriage.
What’s the reason for the disparity? Wilcox explains, “Couples with larger networks of friends and family may have more help, and encouragement, in navigating the challenges of married life.”
Wilcox adds that the expense of the wedding, just because it’s larger, really does not factor into it.
Meanwhile, Rhoades and Stanley say that higher marital quality also may be due to couples having fewer premarital relations, not more. The researchers believe that when people have a lot of experience with other partners, it puts the marriage at a disadvantage because a husband or wife may unfairly compare their spouse to former lovers.
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