Transcript of Sinders Sisters Podcast
E18: Wedding Evolution: Weddings Transformations Over the Years
In this episode, we delve into the fascinating evolution of weddings. We explore how fashion trends in the wedding industry have dramatically changed over the decades, moving from traditional, uniform styles to unique expressions of the couple's personalities. Join us as we reminisce about the days of puffy sleeves and satin dresses, discuss the impact of reality TV on the bridal shopping experience, and share our insights on how weddings have become more personalized and meaningful. Tune in to hear about the shifts in wedding traditions, our experiences of finding the perfect dress, and what the future might hold for the wedding industry.
00:00:00:02 - 00:00:01:25
Meghan
What are we going to tell the people about today?
00:00:01:25 - 00:00:12:20
Stacey
The roller coaster ride of conversations that we're going to have today are going to be. How is fashion changed in the wedding industry? I mean, since we've been in it, which has been a long time.
00:00:12:22 - 00:00:21:07
Meghan
And the uniqueness of a wedding, like how it has become more of a representation of the couple as opposed to the tradition. Yes. That we think a wedding is definitely.
00:00:21:07 - 00:00:23:11
Stacey
Yes that's changed. So the evolution.
00:00:23:11 - 00:00:28:27
Meghan
Of what we've seen and the experience that we've seen, like the change in the actual experience of buying your dress
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Stacey
Absolutely.
00:00:30:03 - 00:00:35:02
Meghan
And the question that we wanted to ask. So we've saved this, this question. What do you want to see.
00:00:35:03 - 00:00:50:07
Stacey
Change in the industry. Yes, yes. Tell us what you want to see. Let's get into this.
00:00:50:10 - 00:00:55:25
Stacey
Welcome to the Chronicles of Caffeine and Ambition, hosted by the Sinders Sisters. I'm Stacey.
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Meghan
And I'm Megan. And what we are here to do on our podcast is tell you about business, life, families, essentially everything that we do. We want to share with you because we have a lot of self-confidence. We've learned a lot of self-confidence over the years. We share, have and we want to share that with you. We want to show you how.
00:01:13:19 - 00:01:23:24
Meghan
Let's do this.
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Meghan
So where did it all start?
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Stacey
I was going to be like the chicken or the egg. That one is that way. Not that.
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Meghan
Not that. Where did the weddings start? So let's talk about the evolution of weddings. And we can go back a little bit to like, the beginnings or the funny things that we know about where the veil came from and that kind of thing. But what has the evolution of weddings been since we've been in the industry?
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Stacey
So it has been 27 years.
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Meghan
Oh, did you count? No, because we always say this and I always go, yeah, yeah, it's about been about, I don't know, 25, 30
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Stacey
I think I've been saying 27 years for the past three years, so could be close to 30 years now with any industry. It's been a really long time. There's been so much has changed is unreal. We used to ask you when you would come to the shop to bring in your magazine. he would pull all the pictures out of the magazine and come in with your scrapbook of pictures and be like, these are the dresses I was looking at, and the dresses at the time all look the same.
00:02:17:07 - 00:02:29:15
Stacey
They all had, like, a puffy shoulder and the sleeve and, like, Basque waist were big then. So this is how long we've been in the industry that Basque waist are coming back again.
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Meghan
and they were fuller skirts like they were fitted in the waist, but full skirt, full skirts.
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Stacey
Generally, almost always a satin. We used to do a lot of raw silk. There was a couple companies that we here that did raw silk and that was beautiful. And it always made like a crinkle little noise or like if you couldn't afford the raw silk, you would buy Shane tongue. And that made more of a like a diaper sound.
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Stacey
yeah.
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Meghan
It's the things that we the things that fashion said were cool at that time, that then there's a full out full like I was going to say 360. There's a full 180.
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Stacey
Nine degrees right.
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Meghan
Here. Complete switch. That's not cool anymore. We don't want that noise that came from those fabrics. But it was a thing at a time. It was.
00:03:06:26 - 00:03:26:14
Stacey
And we used to be able to silk wasn't a wasn't as expensive as now. Like you just dresses are made of silk anymore. It's all satin or crape or, even jerseys. Now, a lot of them are being made of jerseys. it's majority polyester fabrics just because they're cheaper to make and, more.
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Meghan
Why why why are they accessible?
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Stacey
Correct. Yeah. Well, get the words out, Stace.
00:03:34:19 - 00:03:53:00
Meghan
Yeah. The fashion is 100% changed. And, I mean, we were even just talking about that earlier today in the sense that ball gowns were around for a very long time. Yes, but for the last and I said ten years when we were saying it earlier. And I do think that that's fairly accurate. I think it's been almost ten years that we were doing a majority fitted dresses.
00:03:53:00 - 00:04:09:05
Stacey
Done a lot of fitted. We did a decent amount of A-line, more floaty when we went through that bohemian phase for a long time, as we did a decent amount of that. But like actual true when you think of like Cinderella ball gowns. We haven't done this for years. Like, don't get me wrong, lots of people, so buy them.
00:04:09:05 - 00:04:14:18
Stacey
But in the majority that we sell now this could be exclusive to our shop.
00:04:14:22 - 00:04:31:27
Meghan
I suppose it could be probably exclusive to an area and area. Yeah, true. We do still have ball gowns, and there are girls who still choose wedding gown or who choose ball gowns. The majority in our store, the majority of our brides choose a fitted or a flow. Yes. Not a ball, not a ball gown. And we've been hearing for how long?
00:04:31:27 - 00:04:47:20
Meghan
At least two years now that ball gowns would be coming back into fashion. Yeah. And we've just never we've never got there. We've never hit it. I don't know if it's the Ottawa market. I don't know if it's something that designers want that to come back because they're making ball gowns and they want that to be more popular.
00:04:47:26 - 00:04:55:06
Meghan
So we don't know what's making that, what's holding it back. But they've been saying for a while the ball gowns are coming back and we're just we're not seeing it yet.
00:04:55:08 - 00:05:06:07
Stacey
Yeah. It's such a beautiful thing. I mean, the Basque waist are coming back again. So with the Basque waist is a bit difficult to have a fitted dress and a Basque waist. It's a very defined look for sure.
00:05:06:07 - 00:05:19:00
Meghan
Yes. We have seen a few. There's a few. We have seen a few seasons. Yes. Yeah. But you're right, that could be a catalyst. I could that could help bring in the ball gowns. I am a big fan of a very big dramatic ball gown
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Stacey
Same What else do you get to wear that
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Meghan
That’s true
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Stacey
Be like this enormous dress. I love that a lot. I just love it. Yeah. What else has changed? There's been so much has changed. I mean, the idea of shopping around that didn't happen. I mean, when I first started, there was four dress shops to choose from in the Ottawa and surrounding area. What did we count now? Like we always count like the seaway and go down to like, the valley and stuff.
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Stacey
But I think we're 25.
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Meghan
It fluctuates between about 22 to 25 at any given time. Yeah. 2020, low 20s. Yeah. Bridal shops, individual bridal shop you could choose from to go find your dress.
00:05:59:27 - 00:06:18:01
Stacey
That's just in the Ottawa area because people travel. I mean, we have people come from Toronto and Montreal and all all across Canada. We have people travel to come see us. But back, oh my gosh, when I started it was it wasn't that at all. You went to two shops maybe, or you just knew you were going to go to this one shop.
00:06:18:01 - 00:06:26:26
Stacey
That's where you wanted to buy your dress. You came in, you found it. And the process of finding your dress was so different than it is now. So different.
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Meghan
Do you think that that because you were more involved in that process of finding the dress much more than I was, even though we've both been in the wedding industry, but essentially the same amount of time. Yeah, but you were involved in the actual dress finding correct process. Do you feel like the biggest shift in that came from shows like Say Yes to the Dress or like that kind of reality TV idea, or do you think it started before that?
00:06:53:25 - 00:07:11:17
Stacey
I think that was a catalyst to it. I think because it was the idea also the idea of being able to shop around because you knew you had choice. More places popped up and then more designers of wedding gowns showed up. And so there was so much choice out there. And we all love the idea of choice now.
00:07:11:17 - 00:07:27:25
Stacey
Like when you're rolling through Amazon for a product, you just don't go on. First thing you see, you're like, oh, that one's nice. Can I find that somewhere else? Is it cheaper? Is it better? What's the quality? There's one. So it's the same idea now of when you go dress shopping, you're like, I love this dress. And we hear this often.
00:07:27:25 - 00:07:44:00
Stacey
Now we're a bride. I'll put a dress on, shall cry and be like, I love this. This is my dress. And you're like, great, okay, well, this is the next step. This is what you know, this is the process. And they're like, well, no, I'm not buying today. But even though you're like, this is my dress, I cannot say yes right now.
00:07:44:03 - 00:08:00:25
Stacey
I need to go home, think about it, or go look at more dresses to solidify my this is my dress, which is before you would just be like, yeah, this is my dress. End of story. It was like in the beginning days of when I started there was the change. Rooms were so small. You were all in once one of our like.
00:08:00:27 - 00:08:20:27
Stacey
If you've been to our bridal host before, you'll know how big the rooms are. And they're like, we're in a Victorian house currently. And each of the rooms, what would have been bedrooms are viewing rooms. Before there was one viewing room and four parties in that room. So you and your party members were all smashed in the same room.
00:08:21:00 - 00:08:34:15
Stacey
And so you would help two brides at a time in the change room. You change one, she go out your party members, the other bride would come in, get changed in the same change room and go out and show her party members. It was just such chaos.
00:08:34:20 - 00:08:42:05
Meghan
Well, in first story for size perspective as a comparison, I'd say like in a normal house right now. Think of your living room.
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Stacey
That's how big our rooms.
00:08:43:03 - 00:08:53:06
Meghan
That's how big the room is. Because the Victorian rooms were grand. They're large. Yes. So think of your living room and put, say, 20 to 25 people inside that living room.
00:08:53:10 - 00:08:55:09
Stacey
Yeah, there's four of them. Have four.
00:08:55:11 - 00:09:05:13
Meghan
Yeah. Four of them have one to go and there's 4 or 7 groups of them. So like you're hosting a party and you invite four people that you know who then invite five people that you don't know.
00:09:05:15 - 00:09:23:13
Stacey
Because that's what it would be. And it was wild. The comments that will come out of some people were while, I mean, we still here now, just not to the extent because that's why we that is why we started private rooms. Because people are so mean they don't even know this other group that they're with. And, you know, a friend would turn around and be like, wow, that just doesn't look good on her.
00:09:23:21 - 00:09:35:04
Stacey
And you're like, we can hear you. There's no divider here. What is wrong with you? There's no filter. And, yeah. So the private rooms became an important thing for us .
00:09:35:06 - 00:10:00:28
Meghan
Yeah .And it became a part of the experience, too, because in that entire shift where social media started, where reality TV started showing the process of finding a dress, showing people trying on dresses, the comparisons became huge, and us being able to provide a private experience became much more important because people would realize what it was like again and say yes to the dress if anybody's ever seen it.
00:10:01:06 - 00:10:19:21
Meghan
There are certain places in that store that are individualized, but they're there's private ish spaces, but the majority of what you see, they're out in this open, massive area with a couple other people. Everyone can see you. You can see everyone. That show is its own thing. That created massive ripples in the entire bridal industry.
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Stacey
Everything.
00:10:20:25 - 00:10:37:24
Meghan
But it also made people realize that they don't want to feel like cattle when they go try on their dress. You don't want to see everything and hear everything and have other people involved that you don't know. Yeah, so it changed a lot and that is where we came down to. I think it was a slow process to start with.
00:10:37:24 - 00:10:59:24
Meghan
We did when we took over the bridal shop, we had a few rooms that were shared sometimes, not always, but sometimes, but it was a very slow progression of changing it to a much more private experience. Yes. Where it is now, we offer a specifically private appointment, like a luxury white carpet appointment where you can have everything to yourself.
00:10:59:25 - 00:11:14:07
Meghan
The not just your room, but like everything, the entire shop to yourself. It has become this experience that is so dramatically different than what it was originally or not even just, I mean, we started off with dresses. It's not even just the dresses that have changed over the past.
00:11:14:13 - 00:11:35:25
Stacey
It's the whole experience. It's the whole start to finish of a wedding, even like weddings at that time too. Were you went by the book, this is how your wedding was to go and this is how everyone's wedding went. End of story. You wore this color shoe. You wore, you know, you put on a garter, you wore a tiara, had a big puffy veil.
00:11:35:25 - 00:11:36:10
Stacey
Like it just.
00:11:36:13 - 00:11:37:15
Meghan
It was very rigid.
00:11:37:15 - 00:11:42:08
Stacey
Very rigid. Whereas now I find weddings are so unique to the couple. It's refreshing.
00:11:42:13 - 00:12:11:23
Meghan
It is. Absolutely. And that to me, that came entirely from the pandemic. There was starts of it. People were starting to do individualized weddings, trying to make it unique to them as a couple. Yeah, pre-pandemic at that time, because you still had to fight against your parents, your in-laws, your guests. Everybody held those traditions so heavily. It was an uphill battle for the bride or the bride and the groom or the couple in any way to try and argue with everyone that no, this is what we want to do.
00:12:11:23 - 00:12:34:17
Meghan
So most people just gave in and did what was tradition. I agree the pandemic was a huge change. Yeah, for people doing what meant the most to them. Yeah. What represented them either either as the individual like the dress or to them as a couple, like having a crazy theme or having ten people on a beach. The. Yeah, the changes we've seen since then and.
00:12:34:17 - 00:12:48:08
Stacey
It's nice, it's so nice and something that's been so stagnant for so long to watch it change, because not everybody likes the same thing. your wedding is about you and the union between yourself and your partner. End of story. How do you want to celebrate that?
00:12:48:11 - 00:13:11:02
Meghan
It should represent you. It was literally about you. Yeah. Which is one of the hardest things for us to watch as well, because interpersonal relationships and family drama are a real thing. We all deal with it every day. Yep. And when we get a glimpse into that, because we're a part of your appointment and because we've created this experience for you, we become a part of your family and your drama and your the management of those for the time that you're with us.
00:13:11:03 - 00:13:22:06
Meghan
Yeah. Watching people have to struggle with is definitely difficult. It's what makes the experience so important, and trying to pull out those unique pieces that they're that they're willing to push the boundaries on.
00:13:22:08 - 00:13:23:00
Stacey
Yes, I agree.
00:13:23:03 - 00:13:37:27
Meghan
I do really enjoy some of the old aspects, like the really old aspects pre us obviously, but like, did you know that idea of a veil wearing a veil in your wedding? It came up well, I know two different reasons for it because I mean, cultures are all different, and the reasons for these things came about in different ways.
00:13:37:27 - 00:13:53:22
Meghan
Right. But so one, it was, you were a veil. So the demons couldn't tell which one was the bride. All of your bridesmaids were wearing veils. Everyone had their face covered so that when the demon came out to steal the bride, she was sure that they didn't know who to take. So you were essentially just sacrificing one of your friends.
00:13:54:00 - 00:13:57:21
Stacey
Your friends, to this demon.
00:13:57:23 - 00:14:14:29
Meghan
And then also the covering when you, I think I've heard it for. I mean, like, there's also cultural ceremonies now where you wear veils over your face, still to this day. But then there was there's also, like the Viking ceremonies where the bride was stolen. So it was, not seeing her or her not seeing where she was, that kind of thing.
00:14:14:29 - 00:14:17:20
Meghan
So the veil has interesting backgrounds.
00:14:17:20 - 00:14:18:16
Stacey
Sure does.
00:14:18:18 - 00:14:25:05
Meghan
Depending on where you look at it from. And the color, even the color of a dress, there were all kinds of colors.
00:14:25:05 - 00:14:36:21
Stacey
There were all kinds of I think the this is just such a, I mean, new, new comparison. How long people have been getting married or unions have been happening. this was Victorian times. Was Queen Victoria.
00:14:36:24 - 00:14:48:24
Meghan
Made a huge splash with her white wedding gown? Yeah. Nobody wore white before that. And then she created a fashion that has been long lasting for, I don't know how long 100 years. Was it that which Victoria was? It?
00:14:48:27 - 00:14:52:25
Stacey
No. Is pre like I think it was 150 years. What do we know was.
00:14:52:25 - 00:14:54:03
Meghan
Mid let's say mid 1800s.
00:14:54:03 - 00:14:58:04
Stacey
Yeah I would say so. Yes. Yeah. Long time. So long time. It's a long time to keep on a.
00:14:58:04 - 00:15:19:10
Meghan
Tradition and a long time for something to have so dramatically affected the industry. Yes. That all of North America essentially a lot of Europe wears white still. Yes. Only certain cultures held on to their heritage and their culture. Yeah. Still wear colors, which is another aspect that we while we don't get to work that into our what we offer, it is an incredibly intriguing aspect of the wedding industry.
00:15:19:10 - 00:15:25:25
Meghan
The differences between North American culture. Yes, Western European cultures that typically,
00:15:25:27 - 00:15:37:28
Stacey
We've seen a lot more doing two weddings, in two different culture wedding dependent on yourself, your partner and and what you want if you are the, the the blending.
00:15:38:03 - 00:15:39:09
Meghan
The cultural blending. Yeah.
00:15:39:09 - 00:15:46:19
Stacey
It is so wonderful to watch. Love that again. Again, it goes back to doing what feels right for you. It's your union.
00:15:46:22 - 00:15:51:12
Meghan
Yeah. If you're from different backgrounds absolutely beautiful to see them melded together. Yep.
00:15:51:18 - 00:16:00:14
Stacey
The dawn of social media. That's how old I am. There was no social media when I started. There wasn't even trying to think there was websites when I started. I don't even know if we had a website when I started.
00:16:00:18 - 00:16:05:17
Meghan
I don't think you had a website. When I look, I do not when there's had a website when you started working there.
00:16:05:17 - 00:16:07:07
Stacey
When we bought the business, they did.
00:16:07:09 - 00:16:27:01
Meghan
Yes. In a sense, yeah. That's why I'm saying I don't think there was when you started working there, but they had picked up some kind of minimal website to have that online presence. Yeah, but it was not, if you can call it that. Yeah. But it was like so early on in knowing what to do with an online presence.
00:16:27:01 - 00:16:31:25
Meghan
But it was literally just like a page with a bunch of pictures and writing on it. And yeah.
00:16:32:03 - 00:16:54:24
Stacey
Our biggest thing that we used to do was go to bottle show. It was bridal fairs, like that was the hub of everything. And there was you always went to the one. It was January because it was right after Christmas and it was high season, and we'd have to shut the shop and bring our entire team down and do an a like huge walk run way of like, dresses and the booth to be just slam packed of brides.
00:16:54:24 - 00:17:05:08
Stacey
That is where we did our advertising crazy, like it was absolute chaos. And then the wedding magazines. That's where all of our advertising was.
00:17:05:08 - 00:17:19:17
Meghan
Done, which is insane too, because we were just talking about that the other day. When we ask for an inspiration, pictures, they're never given to us from a magazine. Never. But the wedding industry has been one of the slowest to change from paper advertising.
00:17:19:17 - 00:17:29:04
Stacey
There's still wedding magazines, there's still being printed. It's crazy. Yeah, and brides just don't bring them in. I mean, we get Pinterest pages sent to us. That's what we get sent to us. Yeah. Or on Instagram.
00:17:29:10 - 00:17:40:10
Meghan
Yeah. So social media or are on website because everything's on there now, correct? Yeah. But it always blew my mind that weddings still involved print. Yep. But why are we so slow to shift?
00:17:40:10 - 00:17:41:05
Stacey
I don't know.
00:17:41:07 - 00:17:50:10
Meghan
So that's my next question then. We've talked about all the like the evolution of it over time and over what we've seen since we've been in the wedding industry. What do we want to see? Shift.
00:17:50:12 - 00:18:20:17
Stacey
I would say the fashion, but they're actually doing a decent job of at least shifting the fashion a little bit more like there used to be. There was a time when it was ruching and if you got married at the time of ruching you know exactly what I'm talking about. Every dress had ruching. It was plain. Plain or a little bit of lace or a little bit of sparkle on it, and it was either fitted and ruched on the top and strapless and a lace up back, or it was a more like A-line ruched top and sweetheart neckline, strapless, and a lace up back like there was no get around that.
00:18:20:20 - 00:18:21:06
Stacey
And so I.
00:18:21:06 - 00:18:30:28
Meghan
Wonder what you're right in comparison. There has been a shift already. Agreed. I agreed I would still put that at the top of my list though, because I still feel like there's so much copycat.
00:18:31:02 - 00:18:42:10
Stacey
There is. There's tons. I just it's so hard then, because even I guess us as human beings dress quite similarly in whatever area we are in. That's fair.
00:18:42:12 - 00:18:50:14
Meghan
So pushing the box can only go so far. It's the people that you're that are serving like that. You're serving will not go further. Correct.
00:18:50:16 - 00:19:09:26
Stacey
Yeah I love the idea of having something completely different. But I would wear it. But that's because I wear very odd things. That would be nice though to have a bit more of a mix. I mean, I would always say I would love to go to color gowns, but there's always been that draw for people because I think we have been sold this for so long by a white dress and you know, where we dress other than at your wedding.
00:19:09:26 - 00:19:12:08
Stacey
So you wait this whole time to wear this white dress that's.
00:19:12:08 - 00:19:14:05
Meghan
Deeply ingrained in our in our brain.
00:19:14:05 - 00:19:15:03
Stacey
Right. How it is.
00:19:15:03 - 00:19:30:27
Meghan
But I don't think it's a bad thing either, in the same way that you said, when do you get to wear a ball gown where we don't go to galas or balls anymore? We don't. We know there are a couple that exist. So. But typically we don't get to wear that type of dress, so why not wear it at that time?
00:19:30:29 - 00:19:40:04
Meghan
When do we wear huge, beautiful white dresses there? Some people do, but not frequently. No, I myself cannot wear white because it'll be dirty in two seconds.
00:19:40:08 - 00:19:42:24
Stacey
That's true. She will have a covered in something.
00:19:42:27 - 00:19:46:13
Meghan
So it's just it's not just me. Prince of children.
00:19:46:13 - 00:19:46:22
Stacey
Yeah.
00:19:46:24 - 00:19:49:28
Meghan
That's true. Sticky whatever they had. Shoe prince.
00:19:50:03 - 00:19:50:22
Stacey
Yes.
00:19:50:22 - 00:19:58:21
Meghan
I mean, so I'm not specifically against the white, although there are some designers that do absolutely phenomenal colored lace, which I do love.
00:19:58:22 - 00:20:01:02
Stacey
Yes. It's nice. It's nice to see it change.
00:20:01:08 - 00:20:22:04
Meghan
I would probably I would push further on the uniqueness of a wedding. That one makes me really happy. So while we still see that kind of in-between area people are trying, the couple is trying to push a little further to what they. But we're still held in the constraints of what we think a wedding is. Yes, I would personally love to see that push further.
00:20:22:04 - 00:20:40:28
Meghan
So it literally is not an expectation from your family or your friends of what they'll see. Yeah, you'll see what you see. It's my wedding. I would love for that to be. It's about me and my partner. We will create what we want to. And while your opinion is appreciated, it will not sway what I think I should have for my wedding.
00:20:40:28 - 00:20:46:10
Stacey
Love that. Yes, I will enjoy my day the way I would like to, or the way my partner and I would like to.
00:20:46:10 - 00:21:07:27
Meghan
But I would like to see that go further. I like that it's a good question actually. Let's put that out there. What do you think should change in the wedding industry? what have you been waiting for if you are in the wedding industry, what have you been waiting to see change? Or if you're not in the wedding industry, what do you see that you think would greatly benefit us humans in general of this legal union?
00:21:07:27 - 00:21:11:20
Meghan
What would be the thing that you would love to see change? Let us know. Until next time.
00:21:11:24 - 00:21:12:15
Stacey
Bye guys.