The secret to a long marriage could be starting life together with a big but cheap wedding.

Couples who spend tens of thousands of pounds on their big day or invite just a handful of friends and family are more likely to end up divorcing, a study has found.

Researchers discovered that ten per cent of marriages that started with a wedding costing more than £20,000 broke down within three years – twice the overall divorce rate of five per cent in that time.

They also found that 34 per cent of couples who had ten or fewer guests at their wedding ended up divorcing within a decade – again almost double the sample’s total rate.

The findings emerged in a survey commissioned by pro-marriage think-tank the Marriage Foundation.

Its research director, Harry Benson, said: ‘The data echoes previous research from the US suggesting expensive weddings can be bad for marriages because of the risk of debt.