1 for the road, 1 fun thing, 1 for the trail

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👰‍♀️ 1 for the road: Rise of the three-day wedding

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios Nearly 1 in 3 weddings now span at least three days, with couples devoting more time and money to making guests feel entertained and cared for, according to a new report from The Knot, Axios' Sami Sparber writes. Couples' top priority "is now the guest experience," The Knot editorial director Esther Lee tells Axios. Multiday weddings give couples more time to host guests who "are sacrificing their time and energy" to celebrate.

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⚾ 1 for the road: Title-less World Series

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero slides into home past Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey in Game 6 of the ALCS last night in St. Petersburg, Fla. Photo: David J. Phillip/AP The Tampa Bay Rays will face the Milwaukee Brewers in a World Series guaranteed to crown a first-time champion. The Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians in six games for the AL pennant. It'll be the first World Series between title-less teams since the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in 1980. Milwaukee is MLB's smallest market. 🎲 The Brew Crew is favored to win the Fall Classic, which begins Friday night in Milwaukee. World Series preview (ESPN).

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⚾ 1 for the road: Baseball's looming lockout

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby and catcher William Contreras celebrate after advancing to the World Series on Thursday. Photo: Mark J. Terrill/AP Beginning Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays will face the Milwaukee Brewers in a World Series featuring two of baseball's smallest spenders, just weeks before a labor standoff threatens to halt the sport, Axios' David Adkins writes. Why it matters: MLB owners argue that baseball needs a salary cap to give smaller teams a fighting chance. But a championship matchup between two budget teams gives players fresh ammunition to argue that the current system works. 🏟️ State of play: Owners proposed a salary cap and salary floor in May — the league currently has neither — which the MLB players' union is expected to reject outright. A work stoppage threatens to derail baseball's momentum after a season marked by rising TV viewership and the successful introduction of a system for challenging umpires' ball-and-strike calls. Keep reading.

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☄️ 1 for the road: Meteor shower alert

The Orionids meteor shower seen from Daqing City, China, in 2020. Photo: Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images The Orionids meteor shower — one of the best of the year — peaks overnight tonight. The annual shower comes as dust left by comet 1P/Halley burns up in Earth's atmosphere. 🔭 With dark enough skies, stargazers can expect to see at least 10–20 meteors an hour. The Orionids are known for especially bright, streaky fireballs. Viewing tips.

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🐋 1 for the road: A new hope

Photo: The Center for Whale Research/NMFS/NOAA A new baby orca is making waves among the Pacific Northwest's endangered Southern Resident population, Axios Seattle's Christine Clarridge reports. The little guy is the newest offspring of orca J35, who made headlines in 2018 while carrying her dead calf on her head for 17 days. 🐳 Researchers with the Center for Whale Research spotted the newborn swimming alongside his mother Monday and again on Tuesday. He appears to be nursing, swimming and socializing well. Go deeper ...

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🥐 1 fun thing: Bakery next door

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Your neighborhood's next hot bakery — or coffee shop, pizza joint or BBQ spot — might be inside someone's house. Why it matters: More people are turning baking into a business, as online platforms and looser state regulations make it easier for home cooks to reach customers, Axios' Sami Sparber writes. 🧑‍🍳 By the numbers: Seller signups on home chef platform Hotplate doubled in July, co-founders Tenaya McCoy and Rishi Talati tell Axios. Over 1,000 sellers across 48 states joined Potluck, an "Airbnb for homemade food," within two months of launching this summer, says founder Ken Barton. Case in point: Fort Lauderdale baker Brooke Chambers turned her sourdough hobby into a micro-bakery after sharing loaves with family, friends and co-workers. She mixes dough on Wednesdays and bakes on Fridays for customer pickups, fitting 12-15 hours of bakery work around a full-time corporate job.

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🎸 1 fun thing: 20 years of Tay

Taylor Swift performs for "The Eras Tour" at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in May 2023. Photo: John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album — featuring smash hits like "Teardrops on My Guitar," "Our Song" and "Tim McGraw" — turns 20 today. Why it matters: For all the genres and eras Swift has explored since, that first collection of songs reveals just how much of the artist she'd become was there from the start, Axios Nashville's Adam Tamburin writes. Zoom in: As journalist Emily Yahr writes in her new book "Taylor Swift: The Debut Years," many executives were skeptical that Swift's point of view would resonate with their target audience of 30-something women listening to the radio during carpool runs. But Swift insisted on writing for the kids in the back seat. 📝 By the numbers: Swift wrote or co-wrote more than 100 songs while preparing to release "Taylor Swift," Yahr says. The 11 tracks that made the cut leaned unapologetically into teenage experiences. The effervescent "Our Song," a classic Swiftian anthem that she wrote on her own for a freshman talent show, crackled with the giddy excitement of puppy love. She eventually released it as the third single off of her debut album. It was her first to hit No. 1 on the country charts. Keep reading ...

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⚾ 1 fast thing: Brew Crew pitcher sets record

Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers strikes out Victor Mesa Jr. of the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning of Game 1. Photo: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images The very first pitch of this year's World Series made history. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob "Miz" Misiorowski threw a 103.5 mph fastball against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday — setting a new record for the fastest World Series pitch. The Chicago Cubs' Aroldis Chapman held the previous mark for the fastest Series pitch: 103.2 mph in the ninth inning of Game 2 in 2016. 🍻 The relentless Brew Crew was down four runs last night but stunned the Rays with a 5-4 comeback for a 2-0 World Series lead. The Rays host the Brewers in Tampa Bay for Game 3 tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET. More on the record ... More on last night ... More on Miz.

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🏈 1 fun thing: NFL's French connection

A custom-built Arc de Triomphe entrance portal for player introductions at yesterday's Steelers-Saints game at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis near Paris. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images The French gave us the Statue of Liberty, crème brûlée and haute couture. Now we're giving them NFL football, Bill Kole (your Axios AM copy editor) writes from his base in Paris. Why it matters: The NFL has held games in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Spain and the U.K. — and yesterday's showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints was the league's first in France as it seeks to grow international interest. Security was tight for the sold-out game (final score: Steelers 16, Saints 10) at the 80,000-seat Stade de France, but it was a welcome distraction after weeks of violent protests and widespread social unrest across France. ⚜️ The backstory: New Orleans, established by the French in 1718 and rich in French architecture, food and culture, was the sentimental favorite. 💭 Bill's thought bubble: I'm a lifelong New England Patriots fan — I grew up in Foxborough, Mass., home to Gillette Stadium — so I had no skin in this game. 🌭 The food at the Stade de France was predictably fab, though — even Le Hot-Dog. More on the game.