Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times
For generations, weddings in China, as in many cultures around the world, have been lavish affairs. They served not only as a celebration of union but also as a display of family status and prosperity.
The typical Chinese wedding, with its elaborate rituals, extensive guest lists, and opulent banquets, symbolizes not just the merging of two hearts but of two families, their social standing, and their wealth. However, young Chinese couples are redefining what it means to celebrate their union.
They focus on the core essence of the celebration: the love between the couple, shared with close family and friends in a more intimate, meaningful and even eco-friendly setting.
Recently, a couple in Pinghu, East China’s Zhejiang Province, held a “minimalist wedding” that cost only 5,000 yuan ($691). According to the couple, this type of wedding saved them no less than 100,000 yuan. There was no luxury motorcade, no groomsmen and bridesmaids.
This “minimalist wedding” was personally hosted by the groom Huang Tao and the bride Wei Yaqiao. They shared the story of getting to know each other and falling in love with each other at the wedding with short-listed guests.
Wei said that the two of them also prefer a simple lifestyle that focuses on their own feelings in life and inner world, so they chose to hold a simple wedding. When they first shared their idea of a simple wedding with their parents, they didn’t receive much approval from the older generation.
With the pair’s explanation and persistence, both parents eventually let go of their prejudices. The relatives and friends who showed up at the special wedding also praised this practice.
In addition to this praise, the couple also stirred discussions among netizens. The pair is not alone as more and more young Chinese couples are opting for simple weddings.
Yang Yin held her wedding ceremony in Shanghai during the National Day holidays in 2023, a traditional wedding peak in China. The wedding, in her words, “couldn’t have been simpler, more environmentally friendly and low-cost.”
The party took a bus to the hotel where they dined. The new couple wore ordinary hoodies rather than formal clothing.
Amid the growing popularity of “carbon neutral weddings” among young couples in China, some decorate wedding venues with recyclable materials, some offer the guests vegetarian or vegan dishes, and some purchase offsets for the carbon emissions their weddings produced.
This trend of minimal, simple and eco-friendly weddings, stripping away the extravagance traditionally associated with matrimonial ceremonies, is emblematic of a broader shift in social values and aspirations among young Chinese.
It signals a departure from ostentation and conformity toward authenticity and individuality. This trend is driven by various factors, reflecting broader social changes.
Economically, the exorbitant cost of traditional weddings has become a significant burden for young couples. The minimalist wedding approach offers a financially sensible alternative, allowing couples to prioritize their future lives together over a single day of extravagance.
By embracing simplicity and innovation, these new wedding trends encourage more couples to take the leap into marriage unencumbered by extravagant costs, allowing them to contribute to offsetting the worrying trend of low marriage rates.
Environmentally, the trend aligns with growing awareness and concern over the impact of human activities on our planet. By reducing the scale of celebrations, couples are also lessening their carbon footprint – a small but meaningful contribution to global sustainability efforts.
Culturally, this shift speaks volumes about how values are changing among China’s younger generations. There’s a growing desire to celebrate one’s union in a way that truly reflects personal preferences, rather than adhering strictly to social expectations.
This is a generation that values authenticity over performance, seeking to create wedding experiences that are not only unique but also deeply personal and emotionally resonant. Government and social institutions have not been mere observers in this cultural shift.
In various localities, initiatives aimed at promoting simpler, more economical weddings have been introduced, recognizing the need to alleviate the social and financial pressures associated with traditional weddings.
For instance, Pinghu city was selected into the second batch of wedding custom reform experimental regions in Zhejiang Province in August 2022. Local authorities have launched various measures such as holding special collective weddings. The Pinghu Women’s Federation also held lectures to promote simple wedding. These efforts, while rooted in practical concerns, also subtly endorse the evolving perceptions of marriage, love, and celebration among the populace.
The rise of “simple weddings” in China is more than a mere change in wedding fashion. As young couples across the nation choose to celebrate their love in more understated, personal, and meaningful ways, they are crafting a new fashion for marriage – one that prioritizes the essence of the bond over the grand display of the celebration.
The author is a reporter with the Global Times. [email protected]