#WeddingTok might have 10.6 billion views, but members of Gen Z are snubbing the traditional practice—citing it as too expensive, stressful, and anxiety-inducing. Under tags like #antiwedding and #altwedding, millions of TikTokers are sharing their own non-traditional wedding plans—and in a TikTok that’s now approaching half a million views, Lark (@knaakwell) broke down the reasons why she’s planning on eloping rather than going down the traditional route.
“One of the biggest reasons for me is because I am a very anxious person,” she revealed. “I simply cannot imagine standing up there on the altar and having the most intimate moment of my life with my partner while all these eyes are on us, watching us. That is the most uncomfortable, anxiety-provoking thought to me. Like, that actually makes me ill to think about. I’m not even like being dramatic.”
In addition to finding them anxiety-inducing, Lark said that weddings should be more intimate and less about the people watching. “Anytime that I have attended a wedding, when it comes to the part where they, like, exchange vows and kiss, to me, it feels like when you’re watching a movie with your parents, and a sex scene comes on. Like, it feels so uncomfortable you want to look away.”
@knaakwell Why I’m not having a wedding.. #unpopularopinion #weddingtiktok #weddingtok #weddingopinions #engagement #elopment #weddingculture ♬ original sound – LARK
Admitting she finds doing the marriage part in front of people “uncomfortable,” Lark also said that she’s been “independent from a very young age,” so she didn’t feel the need for a big family get-together and the associated drama. But most of all, Lark noted the sheer expense of weddings being something she’s unable—or, rather, unwilling—to afford.
“[With] the planning in general, that’s like the worst thing I could do for my mental health … And no, I’m not paying a few f*cking grand to hire somebody to do that for me. My fiance and I want to buy a house,” she continued. “So that’s my priority over having some big extravagant wedding. In today’s world, you just simply can’t afford that unless you have parents that are just throwing money at you, which, in my case, is not the reality. So it would be coming out of my pocket, and I would prefer not to go into debt.”
She ended the video by denouncing “wedding culture” as “f*cking weird” and said she has no desire to be part of it.
Lark didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
