Can Wedding Photographers Really Tell How Long A Marriage Will Last?

It turns out that wedding photographers just might be the best people to ask about whether a couple will go to the distance or get divorced. Thanks to a Reddit post by TawnyBigGuns, there’s a whole thread out there about what the people who snap photos of the newly married couple think about their chances at forever. When this person asked, “Wedding photographers of Reddit: Can you tell if a couple is going to last or not? If so, how?” they got over 1,000 responses (whoa) and this is what they found out.

  1. How playful the couple is when eating the cake is key. We might think that it’s downright silly that a couple will feed each other wedding cake or even put frosting on each other’s faces (talk about being cheesy AF) but apparently, this says a lot. A Reddit user named 2DPrinter said, “Sweetly feeding one another? Good sign. A playful smear of icing on the nose? No problem. But every once in a while, someone will retaliate—bad sign. I think it’s indicative of the sort of contempt which will doom the relationship. Even if you don’t want that fondant on your face, you need to be able to laugh it off and have a good time.” Hmmm. Makes sense.
  2. The guests play a big role in the couple’s lasting success. We always know how the people in our lives feel about our boyfriend or husband. They probably make it pretty clear from the very beginning. But it’s possible that we’ll ignore their concerns and follow our hearts. Wedding photographers believe that if guests seem to not be super into the idea of the holy union, that can spell divorce down the road.
  3. The husband can be super obvious. Reddit user directinLA shares a story of a guy wearing jeans (yes, jeans) instead of a tux and scrolling on his phone while (wait for it) heading down the aisle. How could any of the guests at that wedding have possibly believed that this was a guy who wanted to get married? How could his soon-to-be-bride have thought that? It’s pretty crazy. If the husband doesn’t seem super into it, that’s a telltale sign that he’s not looking at this marriage as a long-term thing.
  4. So can the wife. According to a Reddit user named  CoLmes, they wanted to snap a photo of the couple kissing and the woman said no. She literally rejected her husband. Yeah, that’s probably not a great indication that the marriage is going to go well. It’s actually pretty hard to believe that this happened, but this is a true story. Now we know: if we’re going to get married, we should make sure that we like kissing the guy that we’re going to call our husband. Seems logical.
  5. Just look at their facial expressions. If the newly married couple looks anything but blissfully happy, their marriage is basically a no-go. At least, that’s what we can guess from a Reddit user, SomeWoman, who said that her husband was “glaring” at her in their wedding day photos.
  6. The wedding planning says a lot. We can probably guess that the way that a couple acts when they’re about to get married determines what their actual marriage will be like. The Reddit discussion mentions the difference between the wedding day and living life as a married couple. That’s definitely something smart to keep in mind.
  7. The toasts can be make it or break it. As 2DPrinter asks about the toasts, “Are their anecdotes about how each person complements the other? Or are they simply ‘happy for them’?” Got it. It seems like if toasts are honestly sweet and adorable and about how the new husband and wife fit into each other’s worlds and make each other better people, then the marriage will last. If not, it’s probably over before it even begun.
Aya Tsintziras is a freelance lifestyle writer and editor from Toronto, Canada. In addition to writing about dating and relationships for Bolde, she also writes about movies, TV, and video games for ScreenRant and GameRant. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. You can find her on Twitter @ayatsintziras and on Instagram @aya.tsintziras.
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