The hard truth is that in our post-pandemic world, wedding costs are rising. According to Think Splendid, as of 2022, "Wedding costs are minimum 40% more worldwide because of product shortages, increased labor costs, and supply chain issues. And that 40% doesn't factor in the higher rent prices for studio/office/warehouse space, repayments on any new debt taken on to survive 2020, nor the raise wedding pros should have given themselves just to break even with inflation." The good news is the wedding industry is back in full swing. But the bad news is that the swing has collided with a whole slew of complications beyond anyone's control—leaving both engaged couples and wedding industry professionals under pressure. For example, did you know that there's a global champagne shortage, or that the California drought and wildfires impacted the supply of many popular wedding flowers, or that there was a paper and ink shortage that limited the availability of wedding invitations? As romantic as weddings are, they're not immune to real-world issues. So here are some tips to help you keep your wedding budget in check—even in these most unprecedented of times. Episode 19 of The Guide Gals Podcast Check out our website for more wedding planning goodness! https://theguidegalspodcast.com/ Follow us on socials for more!