The wedding industry is a roughly $200B global market

That's up from $29K in 2023, according to this 2024 weddings report. But that’s not the only surprising fact from the report: For instance, 89% of couples started wedding planning before getting engaged.

In 2020, the average cost of a wedding in the US was $19K—but by 2024, it had surged to more than $33K.

The cost of the average US wedding rose by 13.79% between 2023 and 2024, whereas the inflation rate during the same time period was roughly 2.9%.

Anyone who has planned a wedding knows firsthand how shockingly expensive things like flowers or a live band can be. This article from the wedding experts at The Knot breaks down why, exactly, weddings cost so much. Plus, it explains the truth behind the so-called “wedding tax.” Read the article to learn more.

At the start of this video, a venue gives two people drastically different prices for what seems like essentially the same service: a family gathering and a wedding. These price differentials feel so ubiquitous across the wedding industry—and experts attribute this to quality of services for weddings versus other, more casual events. Learn more by watching this video.

According to wedding vendors, the "wedding tax"—the additional money charged for goods and services specifically intended for a wedding rather than another type of event—stems from the increased amount of time and attention that someone like a florist or makeup artist spends on a wedding versus any other type of event. Unlike other events, weddings are often planned a year or more in advance and require more detailed planning and hours of communication.

In this podcast interview with Xochitl Gonzalez—a former luxury wedding planner who wrote the viral The Fake Poor Bride article in 2023—you'll learn a lot about how the wedding-industrial complex has evolved over the past few years and how modern additions, such as the rise of wedding styling services for "wedding weeks," have driven costs up.

Wedding costs vary significantly depending on location. Utah is the least expensive, at $17K, on average, per wedding. If you're curious to see where your state falls, check out this map for a visualization of each state's average wedding price.

This Vogue article takes you inside the details of Queen Victoria's nuptials, from the dress to the bridesmaids drama. Learn all about the wedding that changed the wedding industry forever.

Marshall Field's, a retailer based out of Chicago, published the first bridal registry in 1924. Brides magazine—which was geared to women creating elaborate wedding celebrations—debuted in 1934. This article dives into more of the wedding-industrial complex's history.

Weddings are surrounded by rituals, no matter how simple. These include slathering the couple with food, feathers, and soot and parading them around town in Scotland; Chinese tea ceremonies filled with gratitude; and breaking fine porcelain in Germany. Every family has their own rituals, and wealthy couples are more likely to engage in more lavish ceremonies.

That might include dinner, flowers, or something even more romantic. The most popular gift is candy, with 56% of people celebrating the holiday by purchasing sweets. That's about $2.5B in sales.

Despite these commonalities, different cultures have distinct customs, such as the number of people who can be married at one time, the types of marriage partners allowed, and whether elaborate ceremonies are observed. Families can range from the smaller nuclear unit to extensive multi-generation families and households.

Bezos is no stranger to writing big checks: His Gulfstream G700 jet cost about $80M, while his yacht was reportedly $500M.

In the US, the real tree industry is valued at $2B, the reflection of nearly 30 million trees sold annually at an average profit of about $10 per tree. While each tree takes about 8 years to mature, their artificial counterparts can be made much more quickly, mostly in China, valued at over $1B as of 2020.

For instance, donating your wedding flowers to a homeless shelter or other nonprofit organization may make them tax-deductible. Some other expenses that may be tax-deductible in specific instances include historical venues, wedding gowns, and more. Find out more about which wedding expenses could be tax-deductible via this article.

The tradition later spread through Greece and Rome, evolving with precious gems during the medieval period. Diamonds became central after De Beers' 1947 "a diamond is forever" campaign, boosting sales by 50% in three years.

In the past, formal marriage spread because it was a great way to accumulate property and allies. Now, some couples want love and healthy companionship. Marriage has undergone many transformations, from the inclusion of consent, thanks to religious leaders, to sanctification by the state.

That's more than any other country in the world. Most of the flowers Americans purchase are imported, creating an economy that's both booming and reliant on dwindling natural resources.

Marriage was around in one form or another long before written history. From bonds between two people to large polyamorous gatherings of spouses, the rich history of marriage practices demonstrates that partnerships have been, and will likely continue to be, incredibly diverse.

The global trade of flowers is worth billions of dollars, and new markets and supply chains are opening each year. This multimedia deep dive takes a look at the origins of the modern flower trade in the Netherlands and its expansion into dozens of...

That's up from $189 in 2025 and the previous record of $192 in 2023. The vast majority of consumers intend to use it on candy (92%), followed by food (89%) and other gifts.

In 2024, Americans are expected to spend more than $11B on Halloween, which averages out to roughly $104 per person, according to the National Retail Federation's Halloween Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. That $11B number includes an anticipated almost $4B spent on costumes. See the full breakdown here.

These bets ranged from who would win the World Series to what color clothes famous celebrities would wear to the Super Bowl. Experts believe the industry will continue to grow.

That number is derived from multiple sources (such as brand deals and affiliate links), and the projections for how much the creator economy will be worth in the future are even more complicated.

Anyone who has recently explored buying a home in the US knows it's not a cheap endeavor. The median salary for the typical American homebuyer has risen to roughly $104K, up from $88K two years ago. This data visualization breaks down the household income required to buy a median-priced home in 50 major US metro areas. Learn more here.

The estimated cost of the American Dream—including buying a house, yearly vacations, retiring, raising two children, getting married, and more—is $4.4M, according to recent data from Investopedia. This illustrated graphic shows the estimated cost of the American dream per household over the course of their lifetime. See it here.

In 2024, the industry brought in $1.1T, and the National Restaurant Association anticipated reaching $1.5T in 2025, numbers that are considered a return to normal after the tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry also employs a large workforce, with over 13 million employees.

In this podcast episode from a new series on horses, Freakonomics explores the market around buying and selling some of the world's top sport horses, and the nebulous forces that make them so valuable.

US fishermen stock most of the country's more than 17,000 sushi restaurants. Distributors frequently adjust prices for different fish, based on their availability and the quality of the meat. This podcast unpacks how that industry operates.

89% of the world’s population now live in countries with falling rates. Increasing costs of living, the financial burden of starting a family, and the rise of secularism are some of the key factors reducing marriage rates among the less affluent.

However, there were many traditions around wedding gifts before the wedding registry was invented, too—from dowries to marriage chests. Read about the history of the wedding registry in this article.

From 2017 to 2021, the consulting firm McKinsey took in $77M in consulting contracts with just the US Food and Drug Administration alone.

The exact number is $3,228, or $269 per month. WalletHub found the number by crunching the data reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics between 2014 and 2023.

The Milliman Medical Index tracks the real cost of health insurance for people covered through employer-sponsored plans. In 2025, healthcare for a family of four cost an average of $35K, including employer contributions, out-of-pocket expenses, premiums, and offset wages.

That's just one signal of the industry's massive growth. Investments in the global fintech industry have grown from $4B in 2010 to $92.3B in 2021, as both businesses and consumers seem to quickly adopt new fintech products, from digital payment apps to robo-advisers.

Marriage's definition may seem simple—a union of two or more people who join their lives together in a culturally appropriate fashion. However, elaborate customs and diverse expectations dictate the roles spouses will play for one another. Across different regions and periods, marriages have taken a great number of forms.

Coachella might be a cutting-edge cultural event, but it doesn't come for free. Beyond the high ticket prices—which typically start around $500—there are other costs, like lodging, food, and libations. This article spotlights four attendees who break down their expenses for the week and why, despite the hefty price tag, they were so interested in heading to the desert.

Because economies are complex systems, a wide variety of issues influence this balance—including some things generally considered to be positive, like rising wages.

This article breaks down the average household debt by category, including credit card debt ($6,523), personal loans ($11,274), and more.

If members of the wealthy elite want to find romance, they often choose expensive match-making services rather than dating apps. These services can cost $150,000 for each match, and providers are experts in dealing with the unique social dynamics caused by being wealthy and the unusual egos such wealth can bring. This article explores this hidden cultural phenomenon.