Today is National Wedding Planning Day, and Cheddar News' Shannon LaNier visited a bridal shop on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to get an inside look at the ongoing "wedding boom."
What is the wedding boom? Well, there were a record 2.6 million weddings in 2022, which is up from 1.9 million in 2021 and 1.3 million in 2020, according to a report from The Knot, a wedding planning agency.
That amounts to about 7,123 weddings per day in the United States. During these special events, guests spent an average of $460 to attend and more than $1,000 if the wedding required them to take a flight.
The current upswing in weddings follows a sharp dip in 2020 due to the pandemic. Now the competition for vendors and venues is getting stiff, requiring even more planning.
Lauren Kay, executive director at The Knot, said the pandemic forced a number of changes to accommodate social distancing and other restrictions. This led couples to get more creative and add more personalized details to their weddings.
Now, in 2023, couples are carrying this trend forward. For example, many are holding "unplugged ceremonies" in which no photos or videos are allowed from guests. Another trend is more themed weddings, such as "Roaring '20s" and Star Wars.
Days may be getting shorter and colder, but your furry friend still needs to get that daily exercise. Dr. Danielle Bernal, global veterinarian with Wellness Pet Co., joined Cheddar News to discuss the health benefits of walking for humans and dogs.
Many parents are currently shopping for presents for their young children as the holiday season is underway. Parenting and lifestyle expert Amanda Mushro joined Cheddar News to give some ideas on what to purchase for your kids.
Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we watch real-life spiritualism that has gone too far, fictional witchcraft that has gone too far, and two Christmas classics to bring our happiness back.
Since 1927, Time Magazine has chosen its Person of the Year to acknowledge the world's biggest and most influential change makers. This year it was global phenomenon Taylor Swift. Dan Macsai, executive editor of Time, spoke with Cheddar News about the process to make its pick and what's involved.
So I got the chance to chat with times executive editor Dan Max about how time made its decision and the entire person of the year issue.
