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 had similar vibes to our wedding. It was in an old-barn turned reception hall attached to a strip mall. We had 2 half-kegs and 2 cases of wine bought direct from the winery. The strip mall had a liquor store so folks who wanted to go nuts “snuck over” (as if we cared). People similarly said it was their favorite wedding.
We had a wedding procession where they walked us down to a nearby B&B where we spent our wedding night and then they all went back and got super drunk, which is why our wedding photos include pictures of empty champagne bottles and a circle of feet.