{"id":11596,"date":"2024-05-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/espacestudio.ca\/gen-z-says-weddings-should-be-cheaper-heres-how-to-make-that-happen\/"},"modified":"2024-05-08T03:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T07:00:00","slug":"gen-z-says-weddings-should-be-cheaper-heres-how-to-make-that-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/espacestudio.ca\/en\/gen-z-says-weddings-should-be-cheaper-heres-how-to-make-that-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"Gen Z says weddings should be cheaper. Here\u2019s how to make that happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The cost of living crisis. Mass layoffs. Inflation. To quote a meme: \u201cYou want to have a wedding?! In this economy?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Actually, yes. Despite a challenging economic landscape and the average cost of a US wedding being $30,000 to $50,000,<\/a> gen Z is still saying \u201cwe do\u201d. (The average cost was $27,000<\/a> in 2006.)<\/p>\n

There was a time when weddings didn\u2019t cost the equivalent of college tuition. For instance, before weddings became huge social events, many churchgoing Americans in the 1940s and 1950s hosted cake and punch weddings<\/a>. These were exactly what they sounded like \u2013 a ceremony in a church followed by a cake and punch reception in the basement. You\u2019re in, you\u2019re out, you\u2019re married.<\/p>\n

Before that, most weddings took place at home in the presence of a minister, followed by a small house party<\/a>. It wasn\u2019t until mass communication was introduced<\/a> \u2013 newspapers, magazines, and eventually social media \u2013 that people were exposed to a vision of what a wedding \u201cshould\u201d look like.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Caroline and Price Taggart\u2019s dog poses for the camera.<\/span> Photograph: Keaton Hutto Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, weddings can cost as much as a down payment on a home. Many engaged people find themselves weighing the pros and cons between putting money towards a wedding or buying a house. (There\u2019s even a show on Netflix about this called Marriage or Mortgage. Most people choose the marriage.)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the option of taking on debt for a wedding. Many couples take loans or credit cards<\/a> to cover major wedding expenses. The thought process, often seeded by the influence of peers or well-meaning loved ones, is: \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t you splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime celebration?\u201d<\/p>\n

I recall grabbing drinks with my friends, a married couple who\u2019d had their epic once-in-a-lifetime celebration over eight years ago. The wedding theme was Cinderella, and there were over 200 guests. They didn\u2019t seem to regret it, but one of them mused aloud about waiting to be in a better spot financially before considering kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still have to pay off our wedding before that happens,\u201d their partner sipped drily.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Caroline and Price Taggart at their backyard wedding in Austin, Texas \u2013 which cost $500.<\/span> Photograph: Keaton Hutto Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In my day job as an editor at Offbeat Wed<\/a>, a blog dedicated to featuring nontraditional weddings, I\u2019ve noticed a trend of gen Z couples opting for low-key weddings.<\/p>\n

My colleague, the Offbeat Wed publisher, Ariel Stallings, says gen Z is recognizing which aspects of weddings are important to them (dressing up, making it official, having media to share) and scrapping everything else (feeding people, sending fancy invites, dealing with venues and accommodations).<\/p>\n

Last year, Newsweek<\/a> teamed up with the consulting firm Redfield and Wilton Strategies to survey 1,500 eligible US voters about how much they thought an average wedding should cost. Newsweek found that 25% of gen Z respondents aged 18 to 25 believed $10,000-$20,000 was a reasonable budget for a wedding. This was a dramatic contrast to the 21% of millennials aged 25 to 35 and 25% of millennials aged 35 to 44 who claimed weddings should be $50,000 or more.<\/p>\n

Pre-Covid, low-key weddings were rarer and not typically featured in mainstream wedding media. The wedding industrial complex generally isn\u2019t keen on budget-friendly, low-key ceremonies \u2013 that would mean less money going back into a $70bn business sector.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Marilyn and Jesse opted for a ceremony in Central Park.<\/span> Photograph: DNA photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the pandemic hit a reset button on the entire industry. Now, we\u2019re seeing more weddings that are simple and affordable.<\/p>\n

The rise in nontraditional weddings comes with a new ideology: that there\u2019s no wrong way to celebrate. Whether it\u2019s a $500 Wiccan micro-wedding<\/a> or a $6,000 camping wedding<\/a>, to see two people in love celebrate in a way that\u2019s authentic to them should be a blessing.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the ways gen Z couples lean into low-key weddings.<\/p>\n

Speak now<\/a>: A Guardian guide to the realities of a modern wedding<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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