Veteran wedding planner cites micro signs on wedding day that may predict divorce

A veteran wedding planner says she can gauge whether a marriage will endure by watching couples on their wedding day. Robin 'Birdie' Yarusso, 43, of Lakeville, Minnesota, has spent 25 years planning more than 100 weddings, giving her a front-row view of both the joyful and the troubled sides of marriage. She told a national outlet that micro signs on the wedding day often align with broader relationship patterns and can foretell trouble if they recur in private life after the ceremony.

The most telling sign, Yarusso says, centers on how couples manage finances tied to the wedding. If a couple incurs heavy debt to fund the ceremony, hides spending from the other partner, or ignores agreed financial boundaries, she believes those patterns often resurface later and can contribute to divorce. In her years in the industry, she has observed that money remains a frequent stress point for marriages, sometimes becoming a bellwether for long-term strain. She notes that the wedding day can magnify underlying disagreements about money that have not been resolved beforehand.

A second red flag, according to Yarusso, involves a meddling parent, particularly a mother, who exerts excessive influence during the planning process. She argues that such behavior can undermine a couple’s sense of autonomy and set a pattern for how the couple handles major life decisions after marriage—such as buying a home, starting a family, or choosing how to spend holidays. When a parent consistently disrespects the couple’s choices, the risk is that the couple’s own boundaries will remain untested or weakened, heightening the likelihood of conflict down the line. In her view, this dynamic can be a warning sign even before the couple walks down the aisle.

Beyond family dynamics, Yarusso cautions against wedding trends that embarrass one partner in front of guests. She acknowledges that some couples may choose a cake-smash as a shared moment, but she warns that if one partner is compelled to participate against their wishes, the act crosses into disrespect and, in her assessment, can be a toxic display. The couple’s consent and mutual enthusiasm are essential to avoid creating lasting resentment that could surface later in married life.

The planner also points to common on-the-day behaviors by guests that can reflect deeper frictions. She has previously discussed with Daily Mail the kinds of guest conduct that can amplify stress on a bride or groom, including questions about logistics that should have been resolved beforehand. Texting the bride on the day with questions such as parking or timing can disrupt her focus during a busy, emotionally charged moment. Late-arriving guests, she notes, can interrupt the flow of the ceremony and distract others who are waiting for the couple’s big moment. Such interruptions, while seemingly minor at the time, can contribute to an atmosphere of tension that lingers after the celebration.

Yarusso’s observations were shared in a Daily Mail feature by Lillian Gissen, published on September 24, 2025. The piece draws on her decades of experience in the wedding industry and her belief that the way couples conduct themselves in the run-up to and on the wedding day can offer clues about their readiness to navigate later stages of marriage. While she does not claim to predict every outcome, she emphasizes that consistency in values, boundaries, and mutual respect remains central to long-term partnerships.

In sum, the wedding day, for Yarusso, is more than a ceremony; it can reveal patterns that foreshadow how a couple will manage money, family influence, and everyday respect in the years that follow. The industry veteran urges couples to confront sensitive topics early, align on financial expectations, and verify that both partners feel fully heard and empowered in the planning process. By fostering clear boundaries and shared values before a couple signs the marriage license, she suggests, couples may improve their odds of weathering life’s inevitable tests.