‘It’s been insane how much we’ve been quoted’: Chicago woman tours 6 wedding venues. Then she realizes just how ‘predatory’ the industry is
Are you and your significant other planning to get married any time soon? Best of luck to your bank account.
Married couples-to-be already have a ton of headaches on their plates. From managing difficult family members to the possibility of marriage not even working out in the end. Arguably, the number one stressor, however, is the exorbitant price tag attached to most weddings.
Enter TikToker Cece (@celeford). She’s going viral for her absolutely exhausting efforts to not break the bank for her wedding. Her video on the subject, first posted on Feb. 11, has gotten over 2 million views.
The wedding industry
“OK, so we all know that the wedding industry is very predatory, but I didn’t realize how predatory,” Cece begins. “Until I went to a venue that, like, genuinely wants you to use their venue and, like, actually wants you to get married and have a great wedding and is in it for the love of weddings.”
Cece’s disillusionment isn’t coming out of nowhere. She goes on to share that she and her fiancé have toured seven wedding venues. These venues quoted them a truly diabolical amount of money. Cece says she didn’t even realize “how predatory and insane” the wedding industry has become until she finally experienced a singular normal venue tour.
Cece says that as soon as this new tour guide mentioned a coat check, Cece automatically assumed this would—like her previous experiences—result in extra charges.
“I was like, ‘OK, how much extra is the coat check?'” Cece recounts. “‘Didn’t see that in the pamphlet you sent me.’ She’s like, ‘Why would we charge extra for a coat check? You’re getting married in January … are other people charging for a coat check?'”
Extra charges
Cece confirms “every single venue” she and her fiancé have toured did, in fact, charge extra for a coat check.
This conversation is repeated multiple times. A shell-shocked Cece also assumed the venue would charge extra for use of the bridal suite, event decorations, access to areas of the venue like the patio, and more. The poor tour guide was baffled, assuring Cece that “the venue price is the venue price” with no “extra add-ons.”
Meanwhile, the next venue Cece toured charged “$20,000 more” for the exact same date and similar amenities. This was even though the location was less desirable.
“While driving home from that venue, I emailed the one venue and I was like, ‘Secure the date,'” Cece says. “I don’t care how much [expletive] money you want from me up front. Take all of my money. I’m getting married with you guys, because you are the only reasonable, logical wedding venue … Like, every price they gave was justified. It was insane. It was so refreshing.”
She continued, “It was like they actually wanted us to get married there … and it was the cheapest quote we have gotten.”
What is the average cost for weddings?
While only world leaders, royals, and billionaires can truly claim the most expensive weddings in the world, the weddings of everyday Americans are still notoriously pricey. According to CNBC, “the average cost of a wedding in 2024 [was] $33,000, up from $29,000 in 2023.”
A Virginia couple told the Guardian they dropped over $90,000 on their wedding, with almost half being the venue. So why are American weddings so expensive, exactly?
Where does that money go?
@celeford Only took 8 months but I guess I have a date? #wedding #engagement #weddingvenue #savethedate ♬ original sound – Cece
For starters, there’s the “wedding tax“—the phenomenon in which service providers like venues, photographers, and caterers often charge much more for weddings than for any other kind of event. This isn’t out of sheer greed, but rather because weddings are simply a different ballgame—the stakes are often higher.
But mostly, things have gotten so pricey because an American wedding is not only an event, but often a full-blown show. Interfaith church American Marriage Ministries (AMM) addresses the recently “skyrocketed” costs of American weddings on its website.
“That increase might make sense when you consider how many moving parts are involved in putting on a large wedding,” AMM writes. “Venue, chairs and set up, insurance, photographers, planners, catering, invitations, attire, the officiant to pronounce you married, and even your marriage license. Weddings are a production, and every piece has a price tag attached.”
The Mary Sue has reached out to Cece via TikTok comment and DM.
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