IDL weddings became the most expensive party you'll ever throw

Friend got engaged and within a week she was already dreading the budget conversation, because apparently a "normal" wedding now costs more than most people make in half a year.

The whole industry is built on this idea that this is the most special day of your life and you should spare no expense, which is a great marketing strategy if you want to pressure couples into going into debt for a single afternoon.

And it's not just the wedding itself, there's the engagement party, the bachelorette weekend, the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner, the welcome drinks, and somehow each of these has also become a whole event with its own budget and expectations.

My friend wanted something small but the moment people heard she was engaged, the suggestions started rolling in about venues she "had to" book, photographers she "needed" to hire, dresses she "deserved" to wear.

The pressure isn't just from vendors. It's from family, friends, social media, and your own internalized sense that not having a big wedding means you're not taking your love seriously.

Weddings used to be a community celebration, two families coming together, and somewhere along the way they became a Pinterest-perfect production designed to extract maximum money from people who are too emotionally invested to negotiate.