Multi-tiered cakes, elaborate floral displays and choreographed first dances: The traditional white wedding has been long considered a hallmark of American life.
The obsession with lavish weddings grew to a fever pitch in the years following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, inflation soared — and the average cost of a wedding broke $30,000 for the first time in 2023, according to The Wedding Report, a research company that tracks wedding data.
Now, after two years of elevated inflation eating into consumers’ wealth, for some engaged couples, splurging on a dessert table or extra sprays of flowers, which are the definition of “nice to haves,” has become a much less justifiable decision. That’s bad news for wedding vendors who provide services like videography, photo booths and catering.
Meanwhile, those vendors are facing a more worrisome existential threat: a looming drop in the overall number of weddings.
I sincerely hate being invited to one of these huge celebrations, I have to prepare for hours before even starting, wearing clothes that I dislike, at some point I am asked to eat for much longer that usual for nor foreseeable reason. I just eat two small dishes for lunch and 1 and a half for dinner, but I’ve been in parties where the whole lunch was about 8 consecutive dishes. So over the top. And if you don’t eat anything you’re probably sitting in a corner since you’re one of the few, and when you have hundreds of people in an extra lavish wedding, you end up talking to someone who you never even knew but pretend to do so. After keeping you stuck there for a whole day you’re finally home. Am I relaxed? Not really. The last wedding I was invited in we weren’t treated properly, on top of having to gift something expensive, wearing fine clothes just for that day and taking hours. Not to mention how drunk some of these people can get. Was it pleasant? No. It wasn’t. Also I have a will that I’d wish were respected a little bit more, especially if I have to get back home for other reasons.