You need a lot more than love for a successful marriage

Months of wedding planning and wearing the perfect wedding dress are not likely to have any bearing on how happy a marriage is - nor is the fundamental thing that brings people to say their I dos in the first place, love.

The Beatles may have claimed "all you need is love", but it turns out that couples require an awful lot more if their gorgeous wedding is to have been worthwhile. According to researchers at the Australian National University, factors such as age, education, employment and even whether they smoke are significant in determining if the vows made at the altar are going to stick.

Even their drinking habits are likely to have a significant impact. So, if on your wedding day, you and your new husband or wife are not toasting your future together - be worried!  

Whether you believe this nonsense is another matter altogether - I'm of the school of thought that every couple is different and no amount of research can determine how one marriage varies from the next.

As with all things - including wedding planning! - marriage requires hard work, commitment and a lot of compromise, as well as the soppy stuff.  

How much work are you putting into arranging your wedding?