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After a pandemic-induced backup and pent-up demand, weddings have come roaring back with bigger budgets, longer guest lists and grander ideas.

The big picture: Almost every aspect of planning, hosting and attending weddings is getting pricier.

By the numbers: The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. ticked up from $28,000 to $29,000 from 2022 to 2023, according to the wedding planning website Zola.

But the average cost was far higher in some states, like Washington, D.C., ($45,400), New Jersey ($44,219) and Massachusetts ($40,097).

What's happening: Inflation and high demand are driving up the price of weddings, as everything from music to flowers to makeup gets more expensive.

77% of wedding vendors surveyed in a recent study said they’d be raising their rates in 2023, CNBC reports.

Estimated change in price of select wedding items, 2019-2022

On top of that, social media has infiltrated the wedding planning process — and more and more couples feel pressure to spend big to make their events pop.

They’re splurging on details like doughnut walls, custom cocktail napkins, and champagne towers to add pizzazz.

"[C]ouples continue to lean into the desire to have a high degree of personalization," says Kirsten Francis, director of global insights at The Knot. Some 63% of couples said that personalization was the most important element of planning, per data from The Knot.

That adds to costs because it calls for extra effort from vendors.

"We're just really inundated with images of wedding possibilities," says Landis Bejar, a therapist who specializes in talking to couples and wedding guests.

"Maybe 15 years ago, if you got engaged you got a couple of bridal magazines. Now, a quick Google search can turn into six hours of wedding research. It’s analysis paralysis."

One in three 2023 couples are looking to TikTok for wedding inspiration, Zola notes.

The stakes: Pricey weddings aren’t just burdening couples.

40% of people who've gone to weddings in the past five years have gone into debt to be there, per a recent LendingTree survey. 

That jumps to 62% if they were also in the bridal party — which comes with additional obligations, like showers and bachelor and bachelorette parties.

After years of isolation, these gatherings still feel really special, Bejar says. “[Guests and bridal party members] feel sad saying no.”

Trend to watch: One wedding cost that's bucking the trend and declining is attire for the groom. That's because grooms are increasingly opting for a more casual outfit than tuxedos, Francis tells Axios.

What's next: The U.S. wedding services business is booming as a result of the rush — growing 10% in 2022 to a $71 billion industry, according to market research firm IBISWorld

That growth is likely to continue if bigger, grander weddings become a fixture of the post-pandemic era.

Go deeper: Listen to the Axios Today podcast, where host Niala Boodhoo and Erica Pandey talk about why small pandemic weddings are being replaced by splashy, pricey affairs.

according to 
 market research firm IBISWorld.

The era of over-the-top weddings

Almost every aspect of planning, hosting and attending weddings is getting pricier.

Illustration of coins falling into a cake as if it were a piggy bank.

Marriage

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

House Democrats' messaging guidance on the newly released debt ceiling bill instructs them to say the legislation rejects "extreme demands" from Republicans, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: It is a look at how Democrats plan to counter claims by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that the bill is a total GOP win that contains no concessions for the other side.

Driving the news: Axios obtained a copy of the messaging guidance sent to House Democrats' offices on Monday morning by the Democratic Policy & Communications Committee.

The guidance offers a single-phrase pitch for the bill: "House Democrats are working responsibly to avoid a devastating default on our debt[.] Extreme MAGA Republicans are recklessly threatening a job-killing recession[.]"

It also says the bill rejects "Republicans’ extreme demands to cut critical lifelines for everyday Americans" and "extreme MAGA Republican proposals to cut domestic funding by 22 percent."

Among the other examples of wins the guidance points to: Not touching Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, veterans' health care and student debt relief.

The backdrop: The guidance largely codifies the case House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has been making about the deal.

"It protects the American people from the types of devastating spending cuts that were proposed by Republicans in their Default on America Act," he said in a CBS "Face the Nation" interview on Sunday.

What we're watching: How conservative House Republicans, who have been agitating against the bill, react to these arguments.

After a senior House Democrat told Axios they believe the "vast majority" of the party will support the bill because it contains "modest" concessions, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) responded: "Notice how oddly calm Democrats are for a change? This is why…"

"Just one big happy uniparty family!!" tweeted Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). "Yay, debt!!"

The state of play: Democrats will need to persuade enough of their members to vote for the bill to make up for lost votes on the GOP side.

The White House has employed an intense whip operation to sell Democrats on the merits of the bill.

claims by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

Scoop: Dems told to say debt ceiling bill rejects GOP's "extreme demands"

"House Democrats are working responsibly to avoid a devastating default on our debt[.] Extreme MAGA Republicans are recklessly threatening a job-killing recession[.]"

Staffers prepare for a House Democratic news conference on May 25, 2023. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

House Democrats

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Change in the price of select summer cookout staples in the U.S.

With inflation still sizzling, most of the fixings for your Memorial Day weekend barbecue will cost more.

The big picture: While the latest Consumer Price Index found food prices were up 7.7% in the 12 months through April, prices for classic barbecue staples like ketchup and mustard have had much larger increases, research firm Datasembly told Axios.

A Memorial Day basket of seven barbecue essentials cost $27.32 in 2023 compared to $25.07 the same time last year, a nearly 9% increase, per Datasembly’s analysis.

More than 75% of consumers said they expect rising prices to impact their holiday spending, according to a survey by Numerator.

By the numbers: A 32-ounce bottle of ketchup had the biggest increase at 27.9%, followed by a 20-ounce bottle of mustard that went up 13% and relish up 12.3%, Datasembly found.

The only item with a slight decline was a pack of 80/20 fresh ground beef burgers that went down in price by 3 cents.

Hot dogs cost almost 3% more, Datasembly found, similar to what the April CPI showed.

Hamburger and hot dog buns were each up about 7.4%, per Datasembly, which is in line with rising flour and bakery product costs.

Ribeye steaks had the largest increase of beef products compared to a year ago, according to data provided to Axios from Circana OmniMarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-based market research firm.

The average price for a pound of ribeye steaks was $12.57 in the four weeks through May 14, which is up 11.6% compared to a year ago, per Circana, which tracked retail sales at U.S. supermarkets, big-box retailers, convenience stores and other locations.

Meanwhile, the U.S. average price for a pound of 100% ground beef is $4.79 as of April, according to federal data, which was down from a record high of $4.937 in August 2022.

Prices of ground beef vary by region with the West having the highest average price in April of $5.48 per pound and the Midwest having the lowest at $4.652 a pound, fed data showed.

Yes, but: Inflation has slowed and isn’t impacting many food prices the same way it did last summer. 

In May 2022, hot dog prices were up 16.3% compared to the year before, CPI data showed.

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Pasta prices are up in U.S. but not like Italy crisis

Memorial Day barbecues cost more with inflation

Inflation is driving up the prices of burgers and hot dogs for your holiday barbecue.

Inflation

Retail

2028

Axios 2028

The White House is kicking its outreach to congressional Democrats into overdrive as it tries to sell lawmakers on President Biden's debt ceiling deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Why it matters: Democratic votes likely will be necessary to pass the bill through the narrowly divided House, given the vows from right-wing House Freedom Caucus members to oppose it.

Driving the news: The Biden administration's pitch to fellow Democrats is an intellectual appeal on the merits of the bill, rather than trademark D.C. tactics such as legislative horse-trading or high-pressure tactics.

After the deal was announced late Saturday, the White House sent out briefing materials and talking points to Democratic lawmakers.

The administration followed up with Zoom briefings for House and Senate Democrats on Sunday, in which Biden aides offered details on the deal.

Six issue-specific briefings are planned for Democrats on Monday and Tuesday — two each on key components of the plan: spending levels, changes to permitting rules for energy projects, and new work requirements for welfare recipients.

By the numbers: More than 60 House Democrats have received calls about the deal from administration officials including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, according to a White House official.

All House Democratic leaders have been called, as have the ranking Democrats on House committees, caucus chairs and leading Appropriations Committee members.

Some Senate Democrats have gotten those calls as well, the official said, but that outreach will begin in earnest on Monday.

Zoom in: House Democrats mostly used their Zoom briefing on Sunday to seek clarification on the details of the bill, according to members on the call and a recording obtained by Axios. 

Several members told Axios they felt more secure about voting for the bill afterward, and believe White House officials made a strong pitch.

The call also gave Democrats a chance to air their frustrations about being cut out of the debt ceiling talks — and largely kept in the dark by the White House, even after the deal was struck.

"I feel that the White House has not provided ... direct communication and consistent outreach," said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), who was echoed by colleagues in the Zoom chat, according to a screenshot shared with Axios.

Horsford, the Congressional Black Caucus chair, said Republicans got in-depth details “within minutes of the deal being agreed to,” adding, “We’re in a messaging war… and we’re losing.”

White House director of legislative affairs Louisa Terrell, one of Biden's debt ceiling negotiators, responded that “we have pivoted now that we have an arrangement. We are … going to be able to be in a place to be really clear and crisp.”

State of play: Top Democrats are optimistic about being able to make up for enough GOP "no" votes to get the debt ceiling bill through the House — and avoid a catastrophic default by the U.S. government.

“Most are surprised by how modest the concessions appear to be," a senior House Democrat told Axios.

The lawmaker told Axios they expect the "vast majority" of the House’s 213 Democrats to vote for the bill if progressive Democrats don't actively whip against it.

House GOP sources have said as many as 60 of their members could vote against the package because its spending cuts don't go far enough – meaning it could need dozens of Democratic votes to pass.

House aides noted that while Freedom Caucus members have been vocal in blasting the bill, Democrats' misgivings have been relatively muted.

A senior progressive aide told Axios they expect all but a few of the most left-leaning Democrats to hold their noses and vote yes.

Yes, but: Not everyone is sold. One House Democrat with lingering concerns told Axios that Sunday's Zoom meeting with White House aides felt “scripted” and “there wasn’t real back and forth dialogue."

Even so, the lawmaker expects the issue-focused briefings that start today to provide the needed clarity.

“I think people are going to slowly get on board, but ... people still want answers.”

What's next: The House is expected to return to session on Tuesday, with votes on the debt ceiling bill scheduled for Wednesday.

Go deeper: Listen to the Axios Today podcast, where Margaret Talev, filling in for host Niala Boodhoo, and Hans Nichols talk about the concessions President Biden and Speaker McCarthy had to make to reach a debt ceiling deal.

House Freedom Caucus members to oppose it

concessions President Biden and Speaker McCarthy had to make to reach a debt ceiling deal

Inside Biden’s relentless soft-sell on the debt ceiling bill

Several Democrats came out of a White House briefing more secure about voting for the bill.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the bipartisan budget agreement. Photo: Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images.

Joe Biden

Latino

Axios Latino

Museums and libraries from London to Albuquerque are racing to record and digitize the oral histories of the last generation of Holocaust survivors, advocates say, as the horrors of the Holocaust slip from public memory.

The big picture: Fewer than 50,000 survivors remain in the U.S., according to the Anti-Defamation League. The very youngest survivors are now in their 80s, and some have spoken out against rising antisemitism — something they've seen before. 

At a time of rising concern about antisemitism, the growing online video archives of survivors' testimonies are essential,  ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tells Axios.

"The need to teach the history and the universal lessons of the Holocaust couldn't be more urgent when you think about the rise of antisemitism, the rise of extremism."

"When I talk to Holocaust survivors, they are alarmed. And they are sounding the warning signs."

Zoom in: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., is adding new testimonies to its nearly 90,000 recordings of firsthand accounts from Holocaust survivors. 

The museum is collecting stories in Europe and Central Asia and recently recorded its first oral history with a deaf Holocaust survivor, Ruth Stern, according to Alexandra Drakakis, the museum's chief acquisitions curator.

The University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation has launched its "Last Chance Testimony Collection Initiative" as "an urgent effort to give voice to survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust" through online video testimonies.

The Wiener Holocaust Library in London has digitized and translated hundreds of Holocaust testimonies and made them available online. 

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln recently digitized stories of Holocaust survivors and liberators through letters, documents, photos, and interactive maps.

State of play: Museums and libraries for decades have been recording testimonies of Holocaust survivors. The pandemic led many institutions to put testimonies online. 

The push to capture Holocaust survivors' stories is part of a broader effort to make sure the stories of World War II are told as the generations that experienced it fade away. Only about 160,000 World War II veterans are still alive. 

The push also comes as antisemitism and white nationalism become an increasing part of the political landscape in several countries — including the United States. Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. jumped to a record level in 2022, up 36% from the year before, an annual audit by the Anti-Defamation League said.

The intrigue: Most U.S. states don't require public school students to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust, according to an Axios analysis of data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

And recently, some schools have removed books about Anne Frank and the Holocaust amid conservative campaigns to limit what public schools teach about the history of racism and bigotry.

Samantha Abramson, executive director of the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center in Milwaukee, tells Axios that online lessons help teachers with Holocaust education in regions where resources may be limited. 

Some Holocaust survivors today still may agree to record their stories then cancel at the last moment because of the pain of reliving the trauma, Drakakis said.

She said the museum works with survivors and tries to prepare them, sometimes months in advance, about what to expect.

"What I've noticed when I listened to a lot of these testimonies is that our interviewees are letting the authenticity of their experience of the Holocaust kind of speak for itself," she said.

What's next: Organizations are starting to train the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to tell the stories of their ancestors. 

"It's never going to be the same because the children and grandchildren weren't out there. They are not eyewitnesses," said Abramson, whose organization works with families of Holocaust survivors. 

"But they are a living connection to these stories."

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation

Saving the stories of the last Holocaust survivors

Fewer than 50,000 survivors remain in the U.S. The very youngest ones are now in their 80s.

Holocaust survivors stand during the 2023 Days of Remembrance commemoration hosted by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 20, 2023. 

Holocaust survivors stand during the 2023 Days of Remembrance commemoration hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on April 20. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Holocaust

Holocaust survivor Ruth Elenberg Eisenberg holds a photograph of her brother Yitzhak, who was killed in a bombing in World War II, during the 2023 Days of Remembrance commemoration hosted by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 20, 2023. 

Israel

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Americans who've long wanted to put COVID in the rearview mirror are actively embracing the idea the pandemic is over. For the first time, the majority of the public agrees the crisis has passed, according to the Axios-Ipsos American Health Index.

Why it matters: Increasingly booked restaurants, packed bars and crowded fitness centers in some areas are a testament to how routines influenced by COVID are gradually returning to pre-pandemic norms.

The Axios-Ipsos poll found 62% agreed that the pandemic is over, compared to 46% when we asked the question in February.

The public's long wanted to return to normal, as Memorial Day airport crowds and oversubscribed fitness classes suggest.

The big picture: Data suggests diners are flocking to food, drink and entertainment venues in droves, underscoring their growing comfort with being in crowded spaces again.

In cities across the U.S., tours by Taylor Swift and Beyonce are selling to stadiums that are at or near capacity, as soaring demand sends ticket prices through the roof.

A variety of movies are slowly but surely drawing moviegoers back to theaters, with box office receipts closing in on pre-pandemic levels.

Seated diners skyrocketed by a staggering 81% in mid-May (coinciding with Mother's Day) versus the comparable time frame in 2022, according to figures from Open Table.

And as the New York Times reported last fall, gyms are suddenly hot again. During the final week of January 2023, visits to physical fitness centers jumped by over 23% compared to the same week in early 2022 (year-over-year), analytics firm Placer.ai found.

Zoom in: Fewer than a quarter of Americans think contracting COVID poses a large or moderate risk to their health, down nine percentage points from February. And a majority (56%) say they are never masking in public.

That's likely due to milder infections, more and better treatments and more built-in immunity from prior infections and vaccines.

But for many, the desire for normalcy has been tempered by a lingering fear of a stealthy virus that's swayed perceptions of personal risk.

Flashback to the winter of 2020-2021, when more than nine of 10 people polled by Axios and Ipsos reported masking at least some of the time as a large spike in cases occurred from people traveling and gathering for the holidays.

Now, COVID ranks with commonplace risks like reckless driving, smoking and alcohol abuse.

Reality check: The virus still is out there, even though deaths and hospitalizations continue to trend downward.

New variants continue to proliferate, led by one designated XBB.1.16 that will likely be the target of updated vaccines for September, according to Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research.

America's COVID-free summer mindset

For the first time, the majority of the public agrees the crisis has passed.

Illustration of a movie theater screen made from a face mask displaying the words "The End"

COVID-19

Coronavirus

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

Year-over-year change in national enrollment, by select institutional sector

Data: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center; Note: Students concurrently enrolled at multiple institutions are double-counted; Chart: Axios Visuals

Community college enrollment, buoyed by younger students and fresh interest in job-related programs, rose this spring for the first time in more than a decade, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Why it matters: The high cost of college, economic anxiety and the hot labor market may be leading students to reconsider how to get the most bang for their buck with post-secondary degrees.

"I think that students are increasingly looking towards programs and majors that they can see, and easily see, a direct link to the workforce," Doug Shapiro, the executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said on a call with reporters.

Driving the news: Years of steep declines hit community colleges across the country. Community college enrollment rose 0.5% from the year before, after falling 8.2% and 10.1% in 2022 and 2021.

Enrollment in public two-year colleges rose after the 2008 economic recession but started trending downwards in 2010 and plummeted during the pandemic, according to NSC data.

The majors at two-year institutions that saw increases this spring include Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (9.7%), Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians (8.2%), Personal and Culinary Services (9.7%) and Transportation and Materials Moving (11.8%).

By the numbers: Overall postsecondary enrollment still lags heavily behind pre-pandemic levels.

Enrollment in bachelor's degree programs fell 1.4% this spring, compared to a 0.4% drop in associate degree program enrollment. 

While the pandemic fast-tracked the trend of declining college enrollment, undergraduate enrollment stabilized during the spring, dropping just 0.2%.

Undergraduate computer science programs at four-year institutions hit their highest growth rate in three years, 11.6%, while two-year institutions saw computer science enrollment soar to above pre-pandemic levels.

Graduate-degree enrollment fell 2.2% from spring 2022.

Between the lines: The modest increases in community college enrollment may be attributed to a rising number of younger students participating in dual-degree programs, per the data.

The percentage of dual-enrolled high school students increased 8% during the spring term.

Zoom out: The labor market, which added 253,000 jobs in April, is going strong, potentially incentivizing young Americans to get in while it's hot, Shapiro said.

"The opportunity costs seem to be continuing to increase for students at all levels," he said, adding that postsecondary institutions need to adapt to the changing needs of students.

"Colleges and universities, like the rest of us, need to really think differently about the types of students that they can enroll and the types of programs and services that they need to be able to offer to bring those students in."

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Doug Shapiro is the executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, not the National Student Clearinghouse.

Community college enrollment grows after decade of declines

"Students are increasingly looking towards programs and majors that they can see ... a direct link to the workforce."

College

State Farm says it's no longer accepting homeowner insurance applications in California due to "historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation" and "rapidly growing catastrophe exposure" to extreme weather events like wildfires.

Why it matters: Multiple studies show climate change is influencing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, increasing the risk of wildfires and also the proportion of storms that reach major hurricane status of Category 3 or above.

With more severe and frequent severe weather events and extreme weather swings, the resilience of homeowners and communities is on the line and how lenders, insurance companies and others incorporate escalating risks is a key issue, per Axios' Andrew Freedman.

Zoom in: State Farm, the top home insurance firm in California, stopped accepting new sales Saturday. The American International Group announced last year it was pulling policies in the state amid wildfire risk concerns.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara moved to protect homeowners by introducing insurance pricing regulations, including a one-year moratorium preventing homeowner insurance cancellations and non-renewals in some fire-affected counties.

Zoom out: It's not just California. Some insurers pulled out of Louisiana and Florida last year after forecasters warned of "another active Atlantic hurricane season," per Bloomberg.

Florida is facing an insurance crisis ahead of the official start of the hurricane season on June 1, when property insurance companies in the state to get their reinsurance in place, Axios Miami's Deirdra Funcheon reports. Some companies have gone insolvent and rates have skyrocketed.

By the numbers: There were nearly 12,000 disasters attributable to extreme weather and climate-related events during the 1970-2021 period — costing $4.3 trillion and rising, according to updated United Nations analysis out last week.

Insurer cites "growing catastrophe exposure" as it stops new sales in California

7,490 wildfires razed 362,455 acres and killed nine people last year, per Cal Fire.

Axios

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