No grooms, please: These portraits for brides only

Tang Yunuo was looking forward to receiving her complete photo album after a photography session at a professional imaging studio in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.

The 27-year-old ballet dancer chose to have herself photographed alone.

"I didn't want to get married when I was younger, but I hope to record my most beautiful moments in my wedding photos at my best age," Tang told local media. "When I dressed in the exquisite wedding gown and ornaments, I felt like a princess."

Photography agencies in Harbin have seen a trend recently in which single women planning a wedding want solo photos.

According to the on-demand services platform Meituan in its 2020 autumn wedding shopping festival, the search for studios willing to do solo photo shoots so far this year have increased by 23 percent from the same period last year.

Photography agencies began to promote new services at prices between 500 yuan($75) to around 2,000 yuan, much lower than traditional wedding photos featuring couples.

Women can take photos in two or three different wedding gowns with make-up services provided by the agencies.

According to a staff member at a photography studio, in the past two months they have received a lot of customers lining up to take photos and asking for advice.

"The business is booming so much that they have to wait for more than a month," the worker said.

Seeing new opportunities, some cafes and bookstores have also begun to develop similar businesses.

Prospective brides can rent a wedding gown for 59 yuan per day at a cafe decorated with crystal chandeliers that uses backgrounds from French stage plays.

"Although we don't provide professional makeup or hair or photography services, the relative low cost and free mode attract lots of young women," the manager of the cafe said.

At the same time, some women choose a high-end travel photography service at a much higher price.

Coastal cities such as Dalian, Liaoning province; Sanya, Hainan province; Qingdao, Shandong province; and Xiamen, Fujian province, have become the most popular cities for those interested in a premium package.