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Half of Divorced Brits Considered Leaving Their Partner at The Altar

Half of Divorced Brits Considered Leaving Their Partner at The Altar

Four in 10 divorced Brits admit they had doubts before they walked down the aisle, with over half (52 per cent) considering pulling out at the last minute, new research has found.

Instead of enjoying their big day, one in 5 (21 per cent) was nervous about the future, with one in 10 (10 per cent) feeling physically sick.

But despite this, optimism about the future won out and they went ahead with the marriage. Almost no one (4 per cent) confronted the issue and discussed what would happen if the relationship ended. Six in 10 (60 per cent) said they don’t regret their marriage despite it not working out.

While most bride and grooms spend the period before their wedding drafting table plans, picking out flowers and selecting caterers, one in five (20 per cent) divorced Brits were struggling with pre-wedding jitters.

The most common reasons people went through with the ceremony despite their doubts were they hoped it would just work out (48 per cent), they thought it was too late to pull out (33 per cent), they felt pressure from their family to go through with it (16 per cent) or they couldn’t do it to their partner (16 per cent).

One in seven (14 per cent) said they thought they would be able to get their partner to change for the better once they had exchanged vows and 13 per cent felt too guilty.

The research, which polled over 1,600 divorced Brits, was commissioned by family law specialists Slater and Gordon who have found that clients coming to them for advice on getting divorced often regret not listening to their gut before they became Mr and Mrs.

In spite of their concerns seven per cent of divorcees admitted they had spent so much money on the big day they didn’t feel they could cancel it no matter how worried they were that the relationship would fail.

One in 10 (10 per cent) said they walked down the aisle because they felt they should as they had children together, while eight per cent believed that being married would fix their problems.

Amanda McAlister, head of family law at Slater and Gordon said: “It is entirely natural to be nervous on your wedding day and many people who are have very happy, lifelong marriages.



“We tell clients to be realistic and have those difficult conversations about concerns and worries with their partner as early as possible. It’s much harder to resolve living arrangements after a relationship has completely broken down if there has been no conversation about worst case scenarios in advance.



A quarter (24 per cent) said they had discussed their fears that the marriage wouldn’t work in advance of the ceremony, with both men and women most likely to confide in a close friend or their mum.

Many divorced Brits admitted they did not think it would be a big deal to end their marriage shortly after their wedding with nearly half (47 per cent) saying they believed a quickie divorce would be easy to arrange. 

Nearly one in 20 (4 per cent) wrongly thought they could have their marriage annulled, while one in 10 (10 per cent) said they mistakenly assumed a divorce would not be necessary if they broke up with their partner within six months of the wedding.

Forty per cent of those surveyed said that looking back they regretted their decision to go through with the marriage with nearly a third (31 per cent) admitting that when they did decide to split from their partner their friends and family were not surprised.


Two in five (40 per cent) said they had no idea their spouse would have a claim on their assets if the union lasted for less than a year.

Amanda McAlister, head of family law at Slater and Gordon said: “Getting divorced is not a simple process, even if the marriage hasn’t lasted very long. 




“At the end of the process, a couple remains married, but the court proceedings enable them to deal with financial issues and arrangements for children.




Top ten reasons doubting Brits walked down the aisle

  1. Just hoped it would work out
  2. Felt it was too late to pull out
  3. Thought doubts were just nerves or “jitters”
  4. Didn’t want to split up
  5. Felt pressure from family
  6. Couldn't do it to their partner
  7. Thought their spouse would change once they were married
  8. Felt too guilty to stop the wedding
  9. They had children and felt they should get married
  10. Too embarrassed to end the engagement

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