A new study indicates that Millennials are ditching some wedding traditions in favor of newer tech-based alternatives.
The Digital Wedding
Website Dealspotr polled Millennial women 25-34 years of age and found that when it comes to planning the wedding, and documenting the event itself, social media and the internet have taken over:
- Instagram is now a major source for wedding inspiration, contacting planners, and finding venues–to say nothing of crowdsourcing and keeping track of photos from the big day via custom hashtags;
- The traditional paper invite is being replaced by virtual online variations;
- Personalized Snapchat geofilters provide a kind of branding for a couple’s ceremony and reception;
- Wedding videos are now optimized for Youtube and Instagram, and seem more like “sizzle reels” than the meandering home videos of twenty years ago.
Other trends being relegated to the dustbin of history include the registry, along with wedding favors, and—perhaps most shocking—an increasing number of women forgoing their bachelorette party.
Keeping Up with @TheJonses
So what’s causing all this apparent disruption? In part, it’s due to a combination of technological novelty and age-old competitiveness. The urgeto outdo your friends and family with the Instagram-worthiness of your wedding is a strong one, and not only leads to IRL bragging rights, but potentially bigger social media followings.
Fewer, More Expensive Weddings
One predictable consequence of this leaning-in to technology is the rising cost of weddings. We already written about how Millennial couples are getting married less frequently: but studies like this one show how those who are taking the plunge are spending a lot more. The higher your income, the more you spend. So what’s the average cost of a wedding today? Given the need for cinematic social media, the figure’s climbed from $30,000 to $36,000—but there’s not much to like about that.
