A study released last year found that divorce filings typically spike in New York and elsewhere significantly around Valentine's Day each year -- by as much as 40 percent, according to some sources. Family therapists and divorce attorneys have speculated as to the reasons behind an increase in divorce around this time of year.

Some think that it might be due to a delay in a New Year's resolution to start the new year alone. But others suspect that the increased expectations for romance or discoveries of marital betrayal make Valentine's Day the make-or-break holiday for some marriages on the brink. And when a partner's romantic gestures don't measure up on that special day, it can spell the end of the marriage.

One divorce lawyer noted anecdotally that the week after Valentine's Day tends to be one of the busiest weeks of the year for them, along with the entire month of January and the week after Mother's Day.

In late 2010, New York became the last state in the union to permit no-fault divorces. Since then, the divorce rate in New York state has increased by 12 percent, according to reports on state court data, so it's unclear if the Valentine's Day effect will rear its head in 2012 or not.

Whether the Valentine's Day divorce effect is a true phenomenon or not, the sentiment behind it is real: many couples reach the point where ending a marriage is the best step to move forward with their lives. While there are numerous aspects of divorce to consider before ending a marriage, every unhappy spouse knows when the time has come to file for divorce.

Source: KDAF-TV.com, "Valentines Day is Divorce Day," Amber Fisher, February 12, 2011