Chill, happiness — young couples say 'I do' to creative nuptials

Less is more

Yu Kang, a social media influencer in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, wonders how many working people in their 20s and 30s have the luxury of enough time, energy and money to hold a traditional wedding.

For his nuptials in April, the 28-year-old did not arrange bridesmaids, groomsmen or hire a wedding planner. The couple held separate dinner banquets in each other's hometown. They hosted the ceremonies themselves and skipped as many traditions as possible.

"As a vlogger, I nearly have no breaks all year and my wife goes on business trips regularly," he said. "Neither of us are fans of complicated 'tear-jerking' procedures."

Despite the couple's insistence on a simple wedding, Yu said their relatives decided to take matters into their own hands. They hazed the couple, played games when the groom picked up the bride, and insisted on multiple lengthy toasts to the newlyweds.

"My ideal wedding would be kept on a small scale. I would only invite our close friends and our parents, or maybe even commence a marriage by traveling abroad," Yu said.

Ming Jie, a 33-year-old who lives in Jiangsu province, has emceed weddings for about a decade. He said a typical reception usually culminates in a 30-minute session during which the couple makes a grand entrance, performs a series of rituals, and ends with them paying respect to both sets of parents.

Some fads have come and gone, he said.

"From 2012 to 2015, it was trendy to splash holy water or splurge on fluorescent neon decorations, but now such trends have fizzled out," he said.

Ming has handled some unusual requests over the years, such as the groom riding a shared bicycle to pick up the bride or throwing a bunch of lettuce (in Mandarin, lettuce, or sheng cai, sounds like making a fortune) rather than flowers for the traditional bouquet toss.