A Beijing Wedding
Modern weddings are the latest rage in China, but traditionalists needn't worry that the past is being buried. Today, Chinese weddings tend to mix the latest fashions with affectionate nods to the rituals of yesteryear.
With the Chinese currently spending an average of US$15,000 on weddings, China's wedding industry is now worth an estimated US$200 billion a year, and catering to the needs of brides and grooms-to-be has become big business.
In the past, the prospective bridegroom's side would send letters to the family of the bride. There were a total of three letters (known as san shu). Firstly, gifts were presented together with a letter requesting the marriage. If the bride's family agreed to the wedding then more gifts were given to them, together with a letter detailing which gifts had been given to whom. On the day of the wedding, a third and final letter was presented to the bride's family to show that the bride had become a member of the groom's family.
Nowadays most Chinese families have stopped using the three-letter wedding procedure, although much of the ritualized modern wedding ceremony has its roots in the past. Below is a photographic record of one Beijing couple's big day.
