Rule #1: Google Weddings Is About Local & Social

My first reaction to Google Weddings was:

Upon further reflection I think there may be more to Google Weddings than just another random 20% time project seeing the light of day:

It's about Local: Yellow page usage is driven by a few big life events - births, birthdays, graduations, getting a job, buying a house, getting sick and/or dying and getting married, to name but a few. As I predicted last year, vertical guides are becoming an important part of the local search equation. Weddings is a big vertical with a lot of marketing dollars spent on a local level.
It's about Social: There are few events in one's life more social than a wedding. It involves relationships from almost every part of one's life. There are invitations, travel recommendations, pre-parties and post-event photo & video sharing. We all know Google wants in on the social thing in a big way. Perhaps Google Weddings is a side entrance into the party.