| Spring weather has finally arrived, which means it’s time for brides and grooms to start walking down the aisle. Less romantically, it’s also the season for dressmakers, caterers, and florists to cash in. The wedding industry, Rebecca Mead reported in 2003, earns tens of billions of dollars per year—more than McDonald’s takes in annually across the U.S. All that money introduces a mercenary element to the proceedings, which savvy business owners conceal with soft lighting and lace. In “You’re Getting Married,” Mead examines the growth of the nuptials trade, including suppliers’ strategies to maximize profits. As shopkeepers serve complimentary baked goods to beaming brides-to-be, they also read articles such as “Seven Steps to Closing a Sale,” which outlines how to (subtly) exploit the emotional and psychological needs of the betrothed. Some stores, surprisingly, sell to brides at a loss—though with a larger calculation in mind. Still, for all their sophisticated tracking and maneuvering, wedding businesses encounter a constant limitation: theirs will remain an “inelastic” industry unless they can figure out how to increase the number of marriages. One solution could be love; a more cynical one, divorce. As a Florida bridal-store owner tells Mead, “We have one bride we have done seven weddings for already, and every time, the dress gets whiter and the train gets longer.” | 
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