Extravagant and embarrassing wedding ceremonies on the way out in China

Couples prepare to get their photo taken during a wedding photography shoot on a street, in Shanghai. - Reuters

BEIJING (China Daily/Asia News Network): China’s marriage rate has plunged to record lows in recent decades. Among those who still bother to tie the knot, a small but growing number are skipping the exhausting - and sometimes embarrassing - extravaganza that marks a typical Chinese wedding day.

However, doing away with the overly commercialised rituals - such as hiring fleets of luxury cars, throwing expensive banquets and making gushing speeches in front of strangers - usually provokes headwinds from family elders.