The cost of “I do”
5/3/202630 min
Love is in the air, but only if you’ve got thousands to throw at it. How couples are navigating the pressures and expenses of planning their perfect wedding. This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Brandon McFarland and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo of an October wedding by Alyssa Neely. If you have a question, give us a call at 1-800-618-8545 or email askvox@vox.com. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJonquilyn Hill· Host0:00
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Speaker 1· Soundbite0:28
It seems as if there is an automatic surcharge as soon as you say the words wedding.
Speaker 20:37
Is 30,000 kind of the norm now?
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:41
I joined a subreddit group that was weddings under 10K when I first joined it, and then they kept updating the description to eventually be weddings under 20K by the end of it.
Jonquilyn Hill· Host0:54
I'm really good at being a bridesmaid. There was my cousin's wedding, my college bestie's wedding, my other college bestie's wedding, my work bestie's wedding, my other work bestie's wedding, and then the wedding of the bestie I met at a random party back in my early 20s. It may not be 27 dresses, but six dresses is a lot, too. Being a bridesmaid is expensive, but it pales in comparison to the actual nuptials.
Speaker 31:24
Last year, my husband and I probably spent, ooh, almost