Always and fur-ever: Pet weddings are a growing trend in China

Pet weddings are becoming increasingly common in China, the USA and India. — Photo: galina ermolaeva / Getty Images, via ETX DailyUP

As in other Asian countries, concern is growing in China that people are no longer getting married. Yet the country's residents have not lost their taste for weddings. In fact, they're increasingly organising them for their pets. The celebrations are often grandiose and on the same scale as those held for their human counterparts.

In just a few years, people in China have become so attached to their pets that there will soon be more dogs, cats and other animals in cities than there will be young children. By 2030, the country will have more than 70 million urban pets and fewer than 40 million children under the age of four, according to a Goldman Sachs report quoted by the Financial Times. And owners tend to behave like real parents to their pets. They don't hesitate to celebrate their pets' birthdays... or even their weddings.