Macrodosing: Is the Wedding Industry a Scam?

Host: Barstool Sports
Main Hosts: PFT Commenter, Arian Foster, Big Cat, Big T
Date: October 23, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into the "wedding industrial complex"—exploring why weddings in America have become so expensive, whether that cost is justified, and all the social, cultural, and economic phenomena swirling around modern weddings. The crew discusses personal wedding experiences, industry markups, cultural traditions, engagement ring myths, the impact of social media, and listener dilemmas—all with their signature irreverent humor and thought-provoking banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Weddings as Social Markers & Status Symbols

• The Arms Race of Weddings:
  • Social media has accelerated the competition for increasingly extravagant weddings, but the desire for grand celebrations isn’t new. Bridezilla culture and elaborate ceremonies have always been around, but platforms like Instagram have ramped up expectations on aesthetics and details.
  • Big Cat (61:06): “It’s always been a big deal… but I think social media has exacerbated the problem a little bit. You want everything to look like it’s perfect.”
• Rise of Wedding Merch:
  • Hats, hoodies, T-shirts, and other branded “wedding merch” are being normalized by influencers. Tasteful and subtle designs (like a hat with a pet’s face) are mentioned as more likely to be reused than bold “event” memorabilia.
  • Mackenzie (63:50): "The merch I’ve seen for weddings, it’s all, like, influencers… but I saw a girl get married this summer, and at their rehearsal dinner, they made hats for everyone with their dog on it.”

2. Wedding Expenses & Markups: Is It a Scam?

• Brutal Markups:
  • Anything labeled “wedding” comes with a 150–600% price increase compared to other parties. Venues, catering, photography, and entertainment all exploit the wedding tag.
    • Big T (32:18): “Anything that has the word wedding attached to it has like a 150% markup.”
    • Big Cat (126:54): “All the things you’re paying for, if you were to actually get them for a birthday party or whatever, it would be literally hundreds of percent cheaper.”
• The Average Cost Breakdown:
  • National average wedding cost (2025): $33,000 (112:04)
    • Most expensive: Mid-Atlantic ($46k)
    • Least expensive: Southwest/Midwest ($29k)
    • Venue alone: ~$12,000
    • Food price per plate: $80
• Strategies to Save:
  • Some couples try to disguise their “wedding” as just a “party” to avoid markups but risk contract breaches. Venues increasingly require using approved, pricey vendors and can cancel if they find out.

3. Engagement Rings: The Manufactured Tradition

• Origins of the Diamond Engagement Ring:
  • De Beers and their ad agency (N.W. Ayer) used Hollywood placement, mass media, and slogans like “make three months’ salary last forever” to turn diamond rings into the American marriage standard (86:52).
  • In just three years after 1938 meeting, diamond sales rose 55% (91:35).
• Modern Debates: Lab-Grown vs. Mined Diamonds
  • Younger generations largely prefer lab-grown: more ethical, cheaper, bigger, and indistinguishable from mined diamonds.
    • Mackenzie (95:00): “If I can pay less and get more, why would I not?”
    • Big Cat (98:04): “You’d have to be insane to say, ‘I would rather have this come from someone’s, like, a business empire founded on theft, murder, and slavery.’”

4. Wedding Traditions: The Ever-Growing “Event Chain”

• Multiplicity of Events:
  • Modern marriage “ecosystem” includes: engagement party, bridal/bachelor(ette) parties, wedding showers, rehearsal dinners, welcome parties, wedding day, after-brunch, honeymoons, and later, baby showers and gender reveals (110:52).
    • Big T (105:09): “It’s a whole ecosystem. That part of the economy would collapse if this disappeared.”
• Cultural Differences:
  • Southern U.S. weddings are more likely to feature a separate “groom’s cake”—a concept some in the group had never heard of.
    • Big T (120:15): “Apparently it’s more prevalent in the South.”

5. Vegas Weddings: The “No Waiting” Option

• Why Vegas?
  • During Prohibition/Depression, most states required blood testing and a waiting period for marriage licenses. Vegas didn’t, enabling quick and celebrity-propelled weddings (99:58).
• Modern Stats:
  • Clark County hands out ~219 marriage licenses a day.

6. Listener Dilemma: The Reluctant Groomsman

• Setup:
  • Brooks calls in about being asked (at the last minute) to be a groomsman for a friend’s wedding after only meeting the groom a few times. Turns out it was due to a numbers issue between bride and groom, with the bride’s side having more attendants.
• Resolution:
  • Brooks declines, backs up at rehearsal when one groomsman can’t make it, and attends the wedding; everyone is respectful and the day goes fine, but highlights the awkwardness and social obligation sometimes forced on wedding guests.
    • Brooks (133:37): “It was…a highly religious wedding. Mocktails… it worked out pretty well.”
    • Big Cat (136:40): “If you’re dreading going to a wedding… once you get there, you typically have a good time.”
    • (Full story: 129:10–137:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Wedding Industrial Complex

• Big T (16:56): “It’s a whole ecosystem. That part of the economy would collapse if this disappeared off the face of the earth.”
• Big Cat (112:04): “Per The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the United States in 2025 is $33,000. Average cost per guest, $284.”

On the Origins of Engagement Rings

• Big Cat (86:52): “It has been said in media for decades that it is three months salary. And that actually ties back to the start of the wedding ring market here in the United States and how that came to be… The De Beers family also came up with the slogan three month salary.”

On Lab-Grown Diamonds

• Mackenzie (95:00): “If I can pay less and get more, why would I not?”
• Big Cat (98:04): “You’d have to be insane to say, ‘I would rather have this come from someone’s, like, a business empire that was founded on theft, murder, and slavery.’”

On Wedding Merch

• Arian (65:07): “If the merch is crack… you got a dope ass logo of… you know what I’m saying, his and hers, that would be hot.”

On Wedding Traditions

• Mackenzie (107:27): “Bridal shower is girls gone mild; Bachelorette party is girls gone wild.”
• Maddie (121:31): “Over the head is crazy. That’s a, ‘I’m going to ruin your entire wedding dress and your makeup and your hair.’”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [31:42] – Introduction to the wedding industrial complex topic
• [32:14] – Wedding cost markups and personal anecdotes
• [60:29] – Social media and the escalation of wedding expectations
• [63:50] – Wedding merch: free hats, personal branding
• [86:52] – History of the diamond engagement ring, De Beers’ ad campaign
• [94:53] – Lab-grown diamond discussion
• [99:58] – The Vegas wedding phenomenon
• [104:11] – Engagement parties, showers, and chain of events
• [110:28] – Full rundown of pre-wedding and wedding event “ecosystem”
• [112:04] – The real cost of U.S. weddings: geography, time of year, venues
• [121:31] – The cake smash: origins and opinions
• [129:10] – Update from listener Brooks: reluctant groomsman
• [137:34] – Closing thoughts: finding the joy in the wedding despite the costs

Tone & Style

The episode maintains the familiar Macrodosing spirit: part skeptical, part curious, a little rowdy, but always genuine. The hosts bring a mix of research, personal stories, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek commentary—never shying from poking holes in tradition or calling out pure marketing. The vibe is relatable, lively, and often hilarious, but with enough seriousness to tickle your brain.

Conclusion

The consensus: the wedding industry absolutely has scammy elements, with prices ballooning due to manufactured traditions, social pressures, and exploitative markups. But beneath it all, people are mostly chasing a fun, symbolic celebration of love—a goal made harder by commercial forces, but not insurmountable with humor and creativity (and maybe a little merch on the side).

The episode closes with encouragement for Big T, whose own wedding is upcoming. The day may cost too much, but “what could be better than a day to celebrate your love?” (137:48)