Lavish white dresses, towering cakes, architectural flowers, made popular by aristocracy, found their way into middle class weddings in response to post war prosperity in the 1950’s. Fast forward 70 years, increased gender equality shifted expectations for women’s lives. Options for careers and independent living eliminated the need to checklist life’s milestones in a specific order. This shift changed our perspective on how we celebrate marriage & weddings. No longer do women need a lavish send off from her parents’ household into her husband’s. Along with the slow decline of the middle class, self financed affairs became the norm and created a wider range in celebration size from large to small. The shift in priorities sends today’s couples with children, student loans & other debt looking for new solutions in an industry overrun by “more is better” attitudes and unattainable experiences exploited on social media. Today’s couples and their modern lives inspired the creation of The Vow Exchange venues, the “I Do Rescue” podcast and the “15 Minute Wedding” web series.