A double-heart-shaped wedding cake is displayed in the National Wedding Expo in the National Convention Centre in Beijing, August 11, 2012 [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
With more than 3000 companies from 22 countries and 20 industries on display, the China Wedding Expo Autumn Exhibition was held in Beijing in the China National Convention Center from August 11 to 12.
The participating companies included wedding photography, jewelry, dress production, ceremony organization, honeymoon tourism, catering, real estate, and furniture, attracting hundreds of visitors.
From the deluxe class to economic class, from underwater photography to the traditional Chinese banquet, the younger generation has plenty of options for their weddings.
In China, with a fast growing middle class, wedding celebrations are a booming industry. August Photo Studio is a Beijing-based wedding photography company. Its deputy general manager Peng Yi believes that, generally, the wedding industry is growing well. He attributed the bright prospects in the industry to Chinese marriage culture.
"In China, marriage is not just a matter for the new couple, but, more importantly, a matter for the two families. Therefore, the Chinese are usually willing to spend a large amount of money on a wedding."
Sato Kenji is a Japanese wedding organizer. He and his company Dream Agent entered into the Chinese market in 2004. According to his statistics, in recent years, the number of newly married couples in China is 17 times higher than Japan. In 2009, Shanghai married 145,000 couples and Beijing 180,000.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the China Wedding Expo is held quarterly in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The current exhibition is the 22nd in Beijing. This time, the expo in Beijing was moved from Beijing Exhibition Center to the National Convention Center to accommodate the larger crowd.
