一生一次的炫耀
Over 80 per cent of the couples were prepared to spend around 60,000 yuan on the wedding. About 5-8
per cent of people would spend more than that, and this percentage is steadily rising
The approaching National Day Holiday is going to be special for Jason Li.
The 28-year-old is finally ending his bachelorhood. Also coming to an end are his bank savings,
accumulated over the years.
"I had never thought marrying would be so dear," Li said.
The studio wedding photos alone cost him 5,000 yuan (US). "But it is indispensable, as my fiancee
firmly believes that a woman becomes most beautiful when she wears the wedding gown, so that moment
must be captured and kept forever," Li said, forcing a smile.
The price tag
Both Li and his future wife are from traditional families, which determine that a lavish wedding
banquet is a must.
Li chose the three-star New Garden Hotel to hold the grand feast. Taking all the necessary guests,
including relatives, colleagues, friends and former classmates into account, Li found that they have
a total of 250 guests. That is 25 tables.
"When the restaurant showed me the final price after several rounds of bargaining - 35,000 yuan (US,
217), I couldn't help drawing a cold breath," Li said.
There are still many other expenditures involved in the wedding ceremony. A rough account for the
sweets and cigarettes to be handed out at the wedding party is about 6,000 yuan (US), plus a further
600 yuan (US.2) for photographs and a video recording.
The rent of suits to be worn at the wedding party (two dresses for the bride and one for the groom)
is 300 yuan (US). "She still bought a 3,000 yuan (US) wedding gown," Li added.
Renting the car and then decorating the car with flowers and hiring a make-up girl for the bride, all
these take money.
Li figures out that the overall cost of the wedding ceremony is at least 60,000 yuan (US,229). Earning
2,500 yuan (US) a month, Li has withdrawn all his savings for the big day.
Yet according to Yu Jian, manager of Shanghai Hao Yun Matchmaking Agency, the cost of Li's wedding
ceremony is quite typical for the city.
The general trend
Yu has recently taken a survey of some 300 newlyweds who have entrusted his company to host their
wedding ceremonies. Over 80 per cent of the couples were prepared to spend around 60,000 yuan on the
wedding. About 5-8 per cent of people would spend more than that, and this percentage is steadily
rising.
"A trend for higher standards and more expensive wedding ceremonies has emerged," Yu said, and his
remarks won immediate agreement from Tony Wang from the Four Seasons Hotel.
"Just take a look at our hotel's thriving wedding banquet business," Wang said.
The five-star hotel's so-called super luxurious wedding banquet of 588 yuan (US) per person plus 15
per cent surcharge is fully booked, despite the fact that at least 10 tables must be reserved.
The same thriving business can be seen at the Hotel Nikko Pudong Shanghai, whose "wedding" business is
expected to show a 60 per cent increase over the same period last year.
What luxury entails
For those who are determined to hold an impressive wedding ceremony, the party can't be limited to
just eating and drinking.
It also requires a band to play up the atmosphere, an experienced host to make the whole ceremony
smooth, and numerous roses to add more romance to the party, which means extra costs of at least 6,000
yuan (US).
This is all a radical change from the pre-economic reform period of the 1970s when restaurants were
rarely mentioned when talking about weddings, let alone five-star hotels or bands. Wedding banquets
were mostly held at the couple's own home, and dishes were prepared by parents and close relatives.
If account is taken of the new apartment, house appliances and the honeymoon, all of which have now
been included among the city's new marriage essentials, the cost of getting married is really
tremendous.
The recently revealed statistics show that the average cost of getting married in Shanghai is at least
150,000 yuan (US,000) if these essentials are taken into account.
Who pays the bill?
Compared with 20 years ago, when a couple amassed a bicycle, a radio and some furniture then had their
union rubber-stamped at a local government office, the changes are great.
Yet is the locals' salary increasing at the same speed as the wedding costs?
Relevant government bureaux say the average urban worker earns 1,530 yuan (US) a month. That is to say
that getting married in Shanghai actually costs eight years' salary for an average Chinese worker.
Although many young people find spending too much on the wedding is actually unnecessary, most of them
are also finding it hard to resist.
Part of the pressure comes from the parents. Over 95 per cent of local parents strongly support the
idea of a lavish wedding ceremony involving several hundred guests.
Novel ideas such as a "travelling wedding", which saves money for the prolonged honeymoon, although
agreeable to the young, are firmly objected to by their parents.
Then there is peer pressure. When more and more young people are striving for a luxurious wedding
ceremony, it is easy for the newlyweds to feel embarrassed if their wedding is too simple.
Such an increasingly lavish wedding situation doesn't exist in Shanghai alone, although the wedding
expenses in Shanghai are among the highest in the country.
Statistics show that last year the country's overall marriage related expenditures reached 150
billion yuan (US.12 billion), ranking it top among all types of domestic spending.
补充单词：
approaching临近
National Day Holiday国情假期
bachelorhood单身，独身
accumulate积累
wedding photos结婚照片
indispensable不可缺少之物
wedding gown结婚礼服
captured抓住，捕获
lavish大方的
wedding banquet婚宴
necessary必要的
colleague同事
expenditure开支
wedding ceremony婚礼
decorating装饰
make-up化妆
trend趋势
newlyweds新婚的人
entrusted信赖
luxury奢侈
impressive给人深刻影响的
romance浪漫史
honeymoon蜜月
essential必要的
travelling wedding旅行婚礼
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