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Bridesmaids are going broke keeping up with wedding costs

Bridesmaids wait to take photos on Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (Joshua A. Bickel/AP)
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Bridesmaids wait to take photos on Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (Joshua A. Bickel/AP)

Being someone’s bridesmaid used to entail one night of partying with the bride and standing beside her on her special day. But now, more and more women are spending thousands of dollars and even going into debt, just to be a bridesmaid.

Annie Joy Williams, an assistant editor with The Atlantic, joins us to discuss what she calls “bridesmaid inflation.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

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