In 2013, Todd Schneider created the search engine Wedding Cruncher to analyze New York Times' wedding announcements. The dataset now includes over 63,000 announcements for 35 years dating back to 1981, and a lot has changed in the weddings section since then.
In his exploration of trends, today's announcements are focused less on debutante culture and more on people of diverse religious backgrounds. The average age of the couples in wedding announcements is increasing. And technology plays a huge role, many couples now meet online, and tech companies record for an increasing percentage of employers.
The New York Times Weddings Section is renowned for its obsession with status. Thus, providing a window into what the world's most self-important people or deemed to be important.
But some things never change in these wedding announcements; the prevalence of the Ivy League, lawyers, and Wall Street, to name a few in the list. Of course, schools offer most opportunities of introductions to couples including graduate programs dominating the rest of the category.
The rest of the data seen on MSN News show couples meeting via mutual friends, at a bar (dubbed as "happenstance"), some organized activities like volunteering for political campaigns, attending church or playing in kickball leagues. The "other" includes couples who were set up on blind dates, met at other weddings or were childhood friends.
Online dating services began to make their mark since August last year and are still on the rise, as the demographic shows . Almost half of the couples in their 20s met in school while older couples are more likely to have met via online dating services or via mutual friends. But as of 2016, New York Times' wedding announcements shows couples in their 30s have taken over the majority, thus now known as the "the new 20s".
In New York Times' wedding announcements, couples most frequently mentioned online dating service OkCupid leads the record. Recently, a couple met on Instagram, demonstrating the relatively adventurous world of the New York Times.
Religious diversity is on the rise, but the weddings section is gloomier than ever politically. It's evident though that diversity is also far-reaching even on love and marriage. You can check the New York Time's rules for submitting a wedding announcement here; share your experience with us below.
