Divorce in America is estimated at 50-percent. One of every two marriages will end in front of a judge and what was once a promising future will have degenerated into silence at best and thunderous shouting at worst. Other times, there’s arson and shooting involved.
The only proven way to avoid divorce is never get married. Two couples, one in New York and one in rural Tennessee didn’t even last long enough to change out of their wedding attire before sparks flew.
Fire In New York
When the nuptials were called off, at the last minute, in New York, the groom, from Texas, turned into a pyromaniac.
On July 9, 2017, law enforcement answered calls about several vehicles on fire in the north end of Plattsburgh. Two vehicles were totaled, and others sustained minor damage.
Jimmy Williams, 35, was quickly pointed out as a suspect. After wading through hours of video surveillance, law enforcement followed Williams to Houston and returned him to Plattsburgh. Williams is being held in Clinton County Jail on a $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.
The bride isn’t saying why the wedding was canceled.
A Shooting In Tennessee
On August 1, 2017, a bride was arrested for pulling a gun from her wedding dress and pointing it at the groom. And she pulled the trigger.
After the wedding, the couple began drinking at a local motel. When they began fighting, just hours after saying, “I do,” Kate Prichard, 25, reached under her wedding dress, removed a 9mm pistol from her thigh holster and aimed at her husband’s head.
According to Murfreesboro Police, the gun wasn’t loaded, but the bride had ammo in the room. The woman went inside, got ammunition and returned, firing into the air.
Cops who responded had to tell the husband the honeymoon was over and his new wife was heading to jail. Pritchard, still in her wedding dress, was taken into custody and charged with aggravated domestic assault.
Despite the dire statistics, some couples go to ridiculous lengths to tie the knot. Occasionally, the stress of the wedding day spills over onto the guests.
Surviving A Lavish Wedding As A Guest
According to Daniel Post Senning, co-host of Awesome Etiquette, everything starts with the invitation.
“The invitation tells you a lot,” says Senning. “Is there a reception? What’s the formality? Is there a reply card?”
The invitation even helps you get dressed, so check the dress code — it will be in the lower-right corner of the invitation.
The dress code will also be spelled out in the invite. White tie is fancier than a black tie, and it’s always a black tailcoat over a white starched shirt for men. A woman can get away with a ball gown for either level of formality. If the wedding is indoors, and after 6:30 pm, odds are it will be black tie. If it is an outdoor wedding, the ladies need to wear hell protectors and gives a little leeway in what is appropriate attire.
Have Fun With Fancy
When things start to get very formal, they can get a little playful. Velvet slippers can be paired with a tux at the most formal events. Crazy hats worn by women at British royalty weddings are in vogue at some American throwdowns.
Lavish doesn’t always mean old-school, black-tie events at New York City estates where the caviar is spooned out with gold utensils by men in white. Formal doesn’t need to mean scary, either. Relax, take heart in the fact that there just aren’t many of those type weddings around in America.
But when in doubt — just ask and hope the couple invites you to an after-divorce party.