That friend's wedding is too dang expensive… episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 10, 2025 · 19 MIN

That friend's wedding is too dang expensive…

from It's Been a Minute

Are we spending too much on other people’s weddings?Going to a friend's weddings can be so fun and meaningful… but it can also really hurt your wallet. A survey by LendingTree found that 31% of people who had been to a wedding in the past five years had accrued debt to attend. So what’s driving up the cost of weddings for guests? And what makes it so hard to say no to these expenses?Brittany breaks it down with Allyson Rees, senior analyst at trend forecasting firm WGSN, and Annie Joy Williams, assistant editor at The Atlantic.(0:00) For hosts AND guests, weddings are getting really expensive(2:22) How much it costs to attend someone's wedding(4:58) Men are spending just as much as women(7:30) Weddings, social media, and "main character" energy(11:32) Is this the one night we get to pretend we're ultra rich?(13:42) How to say no to a friend's wedding(17:00) Do weddings prove who your friends really are?Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 10, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

That friend's wedding is too dang expensive…

0:00 19:25

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of It's Been a Minute?

This episode is 19 minutes long.

When was this It's Been a Minute episode published?

This episode was published on December 10, 2025.

Can I download this It's Been a Minute episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!