A newly married couple from China celebrated their marriage by bringing a giant “Double Happiness” paper cut-out character with them on their honeymoon to Europe.
This corresponded with the latest trend among young Chinese who are increasingly choosing simplicity over elaborate nuptials.
The 32-year-old groom, surnamed Liu, said he and his bride went on a trip to Germany, France, Italy, and Switzerland in February, posing for photos while holding the red paper cut-out character in front of famous landmarks.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Liu said they received countless blessings from locals. He said he proudly introduced them to the Chinese tradition and the romance represented by the “Double Happiness” character.
He told them that the doubling of the same Chinese character, xi, which means joy, are pasted on doors and cars on wedding days to wish the newlyweds a happy marriage.
Although the couple have planned a wedding ceremony for later this year, their celebration trip mirrored a trend among young couples to abandon expensive and stressful ceremonies.
Instead, they are opting for the new “three or four nothing weddings”, a pared-back way to marry.
It meant they decided against customs such as the groom picking up the bride from her home before the wedding, hiring a wedding emcee, having bridesmaids and groomsmen and inviting unfamiliar guests.
Some young newlyweds even opt for no wedding celebration at all and spend the money on a nicer honeymoon.
“A trip is so much better than a traditional wedding. No need to worry about every detail and try to make everyone at the wedding happy half a year in advance. Also, there is no need to socialise with people we do not know,” a 26-year-old woman from southwestern China said on Xiaohongshu.
In recent years, the combination of a simple wedding with a honeymoon trip, known as a “destination wedding”, has also increased in popularity.
Domestic scenic spots and tourist resorts in Asian countries are the top locations chosen.
A package, which usually includes plane tickets and accommodation for the newlyweds and their parents, as well as wedding services such as photo and video shooting, often costs less than 100,000 yuan (US$14,000).
Many considered the price a bargain compared with the cost of traditional weddings, which is about 174,000 yuan on average, according to Tencent Guyu Data from 2021.
That is eight times the combined average monthly salary of a young couple.
The choice reflects the true meaning of marriage for many, which is about making a family with each other and your closest relatives.
The financial pressure of weddings is a big reason behind the drop in marriages in China, which have been in decline since 2013 and hit a record low of 6.8 million in 2022.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Dating in China: statuesque woman told being tall is a disadvantage as mainland men prefer ‘cute and helpless-looking’ dates
- Backlash as China husband kowtows to wife following birth of son after 3 daughters, praises her pain endurance in ‘fight for family’
- ‘Cute and bossy’ China girl, 7, gives mother US$900 Lunar New Year lucky money as gift for raising her and sibling
- Can you believe this Chinese man is 70 years old? Punishing daily exercise regime spanning 45 years sustains looks, attitude of a 20-something
- Online anger as China father demands half of children’s US$36,000 Lunar New Year lucky money during divorce, court denies claim
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2024.
