Shanghai: cost of wedding is as much as that of America

Shanghai: cost of wedding is as much as that of America
May 3, 2007 07:15	#11
TRAVELLERMIKE Points: Join Date: Mar 15, 2007 Status: Offline	From what I saw in Shanghai last October during National holiday week, the pressure on young people to spend on lavish weddings is intense. I have never been to a City before that had so many places offering expensive wedding services, with a lot of hard-selling going on. It is sad that such an important and personal ritual is becoming so commercialised all around the world. When I got married (a long, long time ago) the tradition in the UK was for the wedding arrangements to be paid for by the bride's parents. This had the benefit that the financial decisions were made by more mature heads, and tended to keep costs within reasonable limits, as the young couple marrying (my wife and I included) were likely to be respectful of the financial burden placed on the single set of parents, and so prepared to be satisfied with quite simple ceremonies. Nowadays in the UK, it seems that both sets of parents may be putting in funds, and even the couple themselves contributing large amounts of money, so the total spending has risen dramatically. I hope people can find a way to enjoy more simple practices, but I guess in China, where the number of wealthy people is growing so fast, and the pride in personal financial achievement is so high, it will be more difficult than anywhere else to control this cost escalation.

May 3, 2007 07:15

#11

TRAVELLERMIKE
Points:
Join Date: Mar 15, 2007
Status: Offline

From what I saw in Shanghai last October during National holiday week, the pressure on young people to spend on lavish weddings is intense.

I have never been to a City before that had so many places offering expensive wedding services, with a lot of hard-selling going on. It is sad that such an important and personal ritual is becoming so commercialised all around the world.

When I got married (a long, long time ago) the tradition in the UK was for the wedding arrangements to be paid for by the bride's parents. This had the benefit that the financial decisions were made by more mature heads, and tended to keep costs within reasonable limits, as the young couple marrying (my wife and I included) were likely to be respectful of the financial burden placed on the single set of parents, and so prepared to be satisfied with quite simple ceremonies. Nowadays in the UK, it seems that both sets of parents may be putting in funds, and even the couple themselves contributing large amounts of money, so the total spending has risen dramatically.

I hope people can find a way to enjoy more simple practices, but I guess in China, where the number of wealthy people is growing so fast, and the pride in personal financial achievement is so high, it will be more difficult than anywhere else to control this cost escalation.

May 5, 2007 19:47	#12
CAOJUAN157 Points: Join Date: Mar 13, 2007 Status: Offline	Yes, Mike. A simple wedding could be a memorable one! A unique wedding should not be measured by the cost.

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