(chinanews.cn)
Updated: 2006-10-23 14:05

In Chinese view, 2006 is a good year for weddings (for there are two Li Chun or "Beginning of Spring", the first solar item in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, occuring in the Year of the Dog, which mainly cover 2006, and represent good luck, while the number "6" in 2006 is another symbol of good luck, too). In Nanjing alone, more than 7,300 young couples have said their vows in the last nine months, about 2,000 more than last year. These young couples have also started a good new fashion by holding simple wedding ceremonies instead of luxurious ones of the past.

It was common for a young couple to spend hundreds of thousands yuan on weddings, even as much as 1/3 of the total savings of the two families of both parties. In fact, wedding ceremonies have become a grand show as a tradition since long ago, when phoenix coronets, sedan chairs and musical bands were wedding necessities, as are today's diamonds and roses.

However, ostentation like this has nothing to do with the love between the young couple, and in fact not romantic at all. Many newly-weds this year choose to preserve the romance for themselves, and to save money for something useful. Their ceremonies have left unforgettable memories instead of horrible weariness. Besides traveling, there are many other innovative simple but romantic wedding ceremonies. Some choose to donate blood, some to plant trees, some to make pottery handprints, some chose give toys and clothes to orphanages, and some to adopt stray pets.

Mei, who got married barely a month ago, said her husband and herself had just made a music slideshow of their photos to record how they came to know each other, and sent the news of their marriage to friends. "That's all, and it"s so romantic and economical," said she.