Can’t buy me love?

What’s the price of happiness? A recent survey rang up the cost of today’s American weddings compared to those of the 1930s. Looks like nuptial extravagance is a constant, even during the Depression.

Citing data from the wedding retail site the Knot, the average price tag of a contemporary wedding runs to nearly $30,000, or roughly half of U.S. median household income. A 1930s wedding ran nearly $400 (about $6,500 in today’s dollars), about a quarter of median household income of the time. The good news? Today the groom’s suit is a steal, about a third of what it cost in 1930 before the days of mass production.   —Diane Richard, writer, July 10

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Source: Jenni Avins, “The venerable, 80-year tradition of the insanely expensive American wedding,” Quartz,July 2