The Wedding Industry in the City of Hamedan and the Interaction and Conflict of Cultural Trends

The commercialized wedding celebration, as a Western and global phenomenon, is developing and expanding. This cultural phenomenon has found its presence and become pervasive in Iranian society. The globalization of weddings and the introduction of new cultural elements related to them have brought significant changes and transformations to these ceremonies in various regions of Iran. In the Iranian society, the convergence of old and new cultural elements has created new mechanisms and cultural trends. This article focuses on the city of Hamedan, one of the cities in Iran. The emergence of the wedding industry phenomenon in Hamedan has been accompanied by challenges. The aim of this article is to examine the cultural and social consequences of the presence and expansion of the wedding industry in Hamedan. The research method used in this qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 16 professionals working in the wedding industry in Hamedan. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of this article encompass two main themes: “Cultural Reconstruction” and “Cultural Anomalies,” each of which includes various subtopics of significance. The results indicate that the expansion of this industry in the city of Hamedan has been concurrent with multifaceted and intricate social changes and cultural trends. Cultural interactions and conflicts, particularly in the realm of wedding ceremonies in this city, have led, on one hand, to the amalgamation and fusion of traditions, and on the other hand, to conflicts of values and disturbances in norms. As a result of these trends, local wedding customs in Hamedan have been weakened, and the consumer culture of the capitalist system has influenced them significantly.