Before Domynique Johnson got married in 2024, she came home from work, opened her laptop and spent two hours scouring the internet for white dresses every night. She repeated the routine for two months, just to finalize her wardrobe for her two-day bachelorette party, she says.
Shopping for her other wedding events, including her bridal shower, wedding ceremony in Hawaii and reception in Bali, took similar amounts of dedication. She wanted to have a different look for every single photographed event, she says.
The 32-year-old real estate consultant from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, spent nearly $18,000 on 15 unique white outfits during her time as a bride, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
“I felt an immense amount of pressure on what I needed to wear ... This is my wedding, the moment I’ve been dreaming about,” Johnson says.
For many brides, tying the knot is no longer a single-day, or single outfit, affair. It can be an entire multi-event season that spans months, sometimes years. Fueled by social media and the growing extravagance of weddings, brides with disposable income are hosting more events than ever — and buying more outfits as a result, experts and brides tell CNBC Make It.
