Three couples won the opportunity to have a wedding at Second Rodeo Brewing free of charge in June. Fifteen couples applied for the opportunity to have a wedding without the stress and financial strain that often comes with it. The brewery plans to do the event again next year. Couples from left to right: Michelle Barrios and Alex Garcia; Adrian Atilano and Adriana Becerra; Eric Henry and Gabi Lowry. (Courtesy of Second Rodeo Brewing)

For engaged couples, the current economy means planning the most costly event of their life at a time when prices are at an all-time high.

In June, Second Rodeo Brewing in Mule Alley in Fort Worth hosted a shotgun wedding for three couples who were sick of COVID delays and the increasing cost of planning a wedding. The event included an officiant, live band, cowboys, beer bouquets and wedding guests. Adrian Atilano, 25, and Adriana Becerra, 24, who got engaged six months ago, were one of the winning pairs. The Hurst couple applied because they have two expenses to focus on that are even bigger than a wedding: a baby on the way and buying a house in today’s competitive market. The couple has no regrets about hurrying their big day. “We didn’t spend a dime except on parking,” Adrian said. “It was stress-free.

Other couples haven’t been so lucky as they plan perhaps their life’s largest — and most expensive — event while inflation is at a historic high. Vendors across the board, from wedding cake makers to photographers to makeup artists, have had to raise their prices as their own costs have gone up.

“It’s the small business vendor community who powers the wedding industry, and just like we have seen the cost of goods like eggs and butter rise, so have, for example, bakers making wedding cakes,” said Emily Forrest, spokeswoman for wedding website Zola. Wedding website Zola found that 70% of couples say they are spending more on their wedding than they originally planned... FULL ARTICLE HERE