The thought of listening to a podcast about weddings probably isn’t a particularly comforting one. One might assume wedding podcasts are a repository for the worst excesses of the matrimonial industry, cruelly designed to exacerbate fears about, say, choosing the wrong type of chair bow.
Instead, they are being tipped in bridal forums as a source of sanity, solace and even sly rebellion against the uptight wedding world. Perhaps this explains why they are on the rise; 16 wedding planning podcasts have arrived on iTunes in the past three years, and Google searches for the term have increased every year in the same period. Nearly half of them launched in 2018, including an offering from the bridal industry behemoth Rock My Wedding.
The resplendently named Bridechilla is one of the most popular. Run by the comedian Aleisha McCormack, it advocates creating a mental “Fuck it bucket” to give yourself licence to jettison outdated traditions. Some of these are more serious than others, ranging from the notion that only heterosexual couples can marry, to the mandatory purchase of “ugly” chair covers. One episode, Stop Saying Yes to Shit You Hate, hits back at, among other things, the pressure to lose weight for a wedding, while there are also tips on how to navigate your nuptials as a feminist bride. The podcast fosters female solidarity, too – women swap advice on its 8,000-member-strong Facebook group.
Alexandra Horan, 28, started listening to the podcast when she began planning her wedding a year ago. “It has made the process far less daunting,” she says. “It’s comforting to hear other listeners are experiencing exactly the same worries (and seemingly inevitable family dramas) as I am – I don’t feel as alone.” It also encourages individuality. “It’s helped me to plan the wedding that my fiance and I want – not the one we are told we should have,” she adds.
Another podcast, Put a Ring on It, has dedicated episodes to dealing with guilt and, enchantingly, how to involve your dogs in your big day, while the Big Wedding Planning podcast has covered how polyamory and marriage can mix. On a slightly different note, Where Should We Begin? lets you hear real-life sessions between a therapist, Esther Perel, and her couples, so you can apply her advice to your own relationship – or, alternatively, give thanks that your greatest source of contention is a seating plan.
