My wife Isabel and I run a wedding videography business in Washington DC.

And here's my take on why weddings are so expensive.

There's this economic concept called "asymmetric information."

With most things you buy,...

...you have a pretty good gauge on what you're getting for what you pay for.

You're pretty sure that an eight-dollar avocado is way too much...

...because you've bought avocados before.

Familiarity with a market produces balanced information between buyers and sellers,...

...and so they can settle on a fair price.

This is like Economics 101.

But most people shopping for wedding stuff have very little...

...if any experience with what they're buying.

Cake, dress, napkins, catering, venues, flowers:...

...this is stuff that you just don't buy very often,...

...so you don't have a very good gauge on what you should be paying.

This is made a lot harder by the fact that us wedding vendors...

...have a hard time posting prices on our website.

Usually, you have to reach out and inquire to get any sort of pricing information.