No hongbao, no problem: Young Chinese opt for fuss-free weddings

When Ms Droya Zhuo, 26, was planning for her wedding in February, she found the process of choosing a bridal gown troublesome.

- Aw Cheng Wei China Correspondent

Appointments with bridal shops had to be made months in advance, and she would need to run around different shops comparing prices to get the best deal when she was already busy enough with work.

So Ms Zhuo, an art teacher in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province in north-western China, decided to buy her dress after lunch one day, at a clothing store near her workplace.

During her nuptials, which took place over the Chinese New Year festive period, she and her husband also decided to do away with bridal photography, bridesmaids, groomsmen and wedding cars to save time and effort.

What were once considered obligatory wedding customs are changing in China, with young Chinese like Ms Zhuo and her husband turning away from the fuss that forms the traditional celebrations.

They are going as far as to refuse hongbao or red packets, cancel tea ceremonies and do away with emcees for the wedding banquet.

Instead, they are opting for simpler weddings, with some using vegetables and fruits for decorations that guests can take home after the celebrations, replacing fancy cars with shared bicycles to pick up the bride and holding celebratory meals at fast-food restaurants.

A survey of 1,251 young Chinese by China Youth Daily on June 26 showed that 78.4 per cent favoured simpler weddings, and 63.4 per cent favoured cancelling customs such as gatecrashing.

The topic of weddings came into the spotlight in China earlier in October, when a man from central Hunan province complained online that he received eight invitations over the recent seven-day National Day holiday that ended on Oct 7.

Netizens sympathised with the man, who also lamented about the amount of money he would have to fork out in red packets, which are considered blessings for the happy couples.