Your friends and family and even reporters will tell you how much you should spend on an engagement ring. On top of this it has been reported widely in the press that men are likely to spend nearly 150% more on an engagement or wedding ring for their second marriage, and a further four times more than that on a third!
So a Second Marriage Equals a Better Ring
And the reasons are?
Well…. . there are three main reasons why a second marriage engagement ring is more money.
Firstly it is thought that a man feels more confident, more secure in their second marriage than they did the first. They have learned the lessons and know how to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes from first time round. This apparently accounts for 48% of the reasons given to a researcher for the higher price of the second marriage engagement ring.
38% of men also state that they are willing to pay, on average, a further £1, 200 on a second marriage engagement ring, because they have more money due to a higher income than they did the first time round. They have more disposable wealth, it’s later in life, so more money to spend on a ring.
Interestingly 17% of the men asked said they payed more for a second wife’s engagement ring because she had more expensive tastes. She may also be more experienced in knowing exactly what she wants.
Ring Costs and Other Interesting Facts
At the first wedding the man chose the ring on his own in about half the cases, and in almost all they were heavily involved in the choice, it was a joint decision. With getting a ring for a second marriage only 30% of the bridegrooms stated they were heavily involved in the decision. This drops to 15% on the third marriage. Presumably by the fourth and fifth marriage they just thrust a handful of notes into the hands of their fiancée and go to the pub…. . or pay a visit to their lawyer!
When it comes down to who pays for the wedding rings for a second marriage, the man is less likely to choose the rings but 92% of them will pay for it, far higher than the 60% at the first wedding
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8% of men cheekily recycled their first engagement ring and used it for their second marriage. Not sure how their brides to be felt about that.
These stats are similar across the world. This is not a phenomena that just relates to the UK or USA.
Are Second Marriages More Successful?
Research states that while 45% of first marriages end in divorce only 31% of second marriages fail. The main reasons given are that we learn from our mistakes, we are older the second time around and we understand the commitment more than we did and we are more confident of our own wants and needs.
Interestingly third and fourth marriages go the other way, with the chance of divorce increasing the more often you get married. I suppose at marriages 3 and 4 divorce has sadly become a fairly regular occurrence.
For details of engagement and weddings rings, whoever is paying and however many times you have been down the aisle, speak to our experts at ComparetheDiamond.com (formerly diamondgeezer.com). We are based in the UK and with many year’s experience in the industry we can offer a full design service, with a 30-day money back, or exchange and tweaking guarantee with something for everyone at the perfect price.