A wedding planner says there are warning signs that a marriage might be in trouble, even as the couple is saying “I do.”
Wedding planner Robin Yarusso — who has planned about 100 weddings and 25-30 proposals — shared four of these signs in a viral TikTok video. She said she’s seen these things happen “time and time again” with couples who later get divorced.
In the video, which has over 3.1 million views, Yarusso said the first warning sign is “smashing cake in each other’s face.” She explained that while she isn’t sure exactly what it means for a marriage, “none of my brides and grooms that did that are still together.”
“If the bride looks upset, like ‘Oh my gosh,’ and you didn’t want that to happen — I haven’t had a single couple survive that,” she told Today.
She added that if both the bride and groom agreed to the cake smashing, it’s different because it shows good communication. “If they didn’t agree on it, didn’t discuss it, or if one said ‘no’ and it still happens, then it’s disrespectful,” she said.
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The second red flag is if one partner isn’t respectful of the budget while the other is. This can be a sign that the couple may face money disagreements in the future.
“So, if I have a bride that’s calling me on the side, being like, ‘let’s add this to the flowers, don’t tell Jim,’ … those people end up getting divorced,” she explained on TikTok.
Another sign is when a bride or groom’s mother oversteps boundaries and the child doesn’t address it. Yarusso said this often leads to problems in the marriage because it shows boundary issues.
She also noted that a groom who doesn’t participate in wedding planning or doesn’t seem to care about the process can be a warning sign.
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“And I don’t mean like, ‘Oh honey it’s your big day, you pick whatever flowers you want.’ I mean, his one job was to pick the DJ and we’re a week before the wedding and he hasn’t gotten that done,” she explained. “That husband is completely checked out.”
Finally, Yarusso said drama at a wedding — especially if caused by the bride or groom — can indicate trouble.
“A large wedding party usually has a ton of drama,” Yarusso said. “The more drama there is, the worse. If one member of the couple ends up extremely intoxicated at the wedding, that’s usually not a good sign … it’s telling me that they aren’t aligned in behaviors.”
