Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- In the 1930s, Fortune magazine
called weddings a “depression-proof” business; these days, the
term is “recession resistant.” That isn’t exactly true, but
there’s no denying that the U.S. wedding industry is big
business today: Even in a sluggish economy, the average cost of
a wedding in 2011 was $26,501, according to a Brides magazine
survey.
Much of the debt incurred by marriage-bound couples and
their families stems directly from a desire to follow tradition
-- to purchase the goods and services necessary for a “proper”
wedding. But many of these traditions are actually relatively
new: They were invented by businesses using shrewd advertising
campaigns, promotions and consumer “education” programs.
