Lifetime wedding-guest count per person in the US: a Fermi estimate

Estimate how many weddings the average person in the US attends over their lifetime. ```hint Two angles Build the estimate from one quantity you can sanity-check, such as how many weddings take place in the US each year, then check it from a second direction, such as how often people attend weddings at different ages. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does a person's own wedding count, or only weddings attended as a guest? - Should I estimate the mean, as asked, or also say what a typical (median) person experiences, given that some people attend far more weddings than most? - Does a small courthouse ceremony with a couple of witnesses count as a wedding attended? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear equation linking weddings per year, guests per wedding, population and lifespan - Each assumption labeled, rounded and briefly justified - Correct arithmetic carried through to a single answer with a plausible range - A sanity check from a second method or an outside anchor, plus the difference between mean and median and what drives variation ### Follow-up Questions - How would your answer change for someone born in 2000 compared with someone born in 1950, given that people now marry later and less often? - Which assumption moves your answer the most, and how would you tighten it? - If you could survey 1,000 adults, what would you ask to check your estimate?