Ideas

Bridesmaid Inflation

Why are we making those we love most suffer for our weddings?

First published in The Atlantic on October 24, 2025.

by Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic

October 30, 2025 | reading time: 9 Min.

There comes a time in every young woman’s life when she’s faced with a question that tests the limits of her love. Caught up in the euphoria of the moment, she squeals out a “Yes!”—only to later pause and consider the commitment, the financial entanglement, the sheer amount of her life she’ll be expected to devote to this person.