Weddings are becoming a bigger spending event and social media is driving the change, but are all these extra costs necessary for the big day?

In this episode of The Shopping Forecast, Catherine and Elizabeth welcome their first ever guest, Lucy Hitchcock, founder of Partner in Wine and content creator, to talk about all things bridal consumerism. From wedding merch and hen dos to the pressure to create a picture-perfect day for social media, they unpack just how much the wedding industry encourages us to buy.

Lucy talks about her own year and a half immersed in bridal fashion, from choosing pieces she could wear again to deliberately avoiding personalised products that would end up gathering dust. They discuss the rise of bridal merch, how social media has changed expectations around weddings, and whether the pressure to make your big day look perfect online is making weddings more stressful.

They also look at the businesses making the most of the bridal boom and the companies selling products for every stage of the wedding journey. After experiencing an elaborate hen do herself, Lucy admits that some of the things she once thought had gone too far suddenly made a lot more sense when it was her turn.

Plus: Lucy's accidental career as a fashion content creator, learning how to dress for your body, a very clever Duolingo bag collaboration, the eye-patch packaging drama, and why looking good on a dog walk might actually make you feel better.

The Shopping Forecast is a podcast that proves shopping is about so much more than what's in your basket.

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Find Elizabeth

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/

Website: https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/

Podcast: The Fashion Brand Clinic https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fashion-brand-clinic-podcast/id1456543176

Find Catherine

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Website: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/

Podcast: The Resilient Retail Game Plan https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/

Find Lucy Hithcock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyhitchcock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/partnerinwineuk

Website: https://www.partnerinwine.co.uk