Three of my mother’s siblings had broken engagements before the first wedding in the family. It must have been devastating, but all four of my mother’s siblings are happily married now, as was my mother until my father died. Sometimes, it’s just not right, and I think some people tend to get starry-eyed about a match and then freak out when it suddenly becomes real and official.
My cousin, who is now very happily married and expecting his first child, also had a broken engagement. I met the girl briefly and thought she was wonderful, but during the engagement period, my family and her family were quibbling over trivialities of the wedding. The couple wasn’t strong enough to handle all the disagreements. No one who knows my cousin would ever have guessed that he would end a relationship because of wedding planning problems. He is a very practical person and very in tune with the fact that it is the marriage, not the wedding, that really matters. However, there are always going to be disagreements between the two families, and if a couple can’t successfully act as a bridge and remind everyone what’s really important, that’s a clear sign that the partnership just isn’t right.