Chapter Thirteen - How Love Became a Luxury Event

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

How Love Became a Luxury Event

WEDDINGS ARE SUPPOSED to be sacred.

A declaration of love.
A covenant.
A union of souls.

But try pulling one off without $30,000.

What was once a spiritual ceremony is now a multi-industry sales pipeline:

• Dresses. Venues. DJs. Catering. Floral arrangements. Chairs you’ll never sit in.
• Custom hashtags. Destination packages. Monogrammed gifts for guests you barely know.

And if you try to go simple?

You’re told you’re “settling.”

Because the wedding isn’t about the couple.
It’s about the spectacle.

• It’s a $70+ billion industry in the U.S. alone
• The average cost is $30–40k (with pressure to go higher)
• Venues, planners, and vendors upcharge anything labeled “wedding” — often by 2–3x

And it’s all driven by one underlying message:

“This is your one perfect day. You only get it once. Don’t ruin it by being reasonable.”

Everything about weddings is weaponized expectation:

• Brides are told to lose weight
• Grooms are told to rent tradition
• Guests are guilted into flying cross-country for people they haven’t texted in years
• Parents are pressured to “contribute” whether they can afford it or not

And the entire thing is immortalized on Instagram, not in memory.

Because real intimacy doesn’t sell.

But a $2,000 video of a fake first look? That sells very well.

Love is free.
Weddings are not.