Getting married in about 6 weeks. Compared to my first one 10 years ago, it's nuts. One metric I read said that wedding costs were up 40% post COVID. My first wedding was maybe $5,000 and that was super strict budget. This one is closer to $25k.

My fiancée was quoted between $300-650 for makeup only. Seriously?? DJ is minimum $900 for 5 hours of work, I got a lot of quotes in the $1300 range, or $2200 for better lighting ($440/hour??) Look I know you had to buy your own equipment but holy hell.