Couples in Illinois have many issues to consider when choosing the day for their weddings. A study from the University of Melbourne of about 1 million marriages provides a cautionary tale about special wedding dates like Valentine’s Day or interesting date number combinations like Sept. 9, 1999. The researchers found that choosing a specific date for its romantic quality or numerical interest might predict divorce.
Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, proved to be the worst day to schedule a wedding. Couples married on the day known for romance had a 11 percent divorce rate by the five-year mark. At nine years, legal separations among people with a Valentine’s Day anniversary reached 21 percent.
The research suggests that couples married on an appealing or cute date do not have a greater chance at marital happiness. People who focus on special dates might make a perfect wedding a greater priority than a sustainable marriage.
Regardless of the amount of planning that went into a wedding, a divorce will require a person to make decisions about property division and perhaps child custody. A family law attorney may inform a person about the laws that govern the division of marital property. With legal advice, a person may learn how assets and debts could be divided and gain a picture of what post-divorce finances might look like. An attorney may be able to conduct negotiations with the former partner and strive to gain a divorce agreement that represents a fair split. If the spouses cannot reach terms on their own, an attorney might litigate the divorce. An attorney may assemble documentation about finances and ownership of nonmarital property if any is present. This information may support the person’s position in court where a judge will the final decision about the terms of the divorce.
