Wedding boom in China's Golden week 2020

China's Golden Week are 7 days National Holidays from October 1-7 every year. As it is the second longest holiday in China after Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), people go out to travel or visit their hometowns.

The Golden Week is also the most busy time for wedding ceremonies due to the one week holiday and a nice weather autumn season. "If you are not at a wedding, you are on the way to one" is a saying sometimes used for the Golden Week time.

This year's Golden Week has been extremely hot for wedding ceremonies as many couples delayed their ceremonies earlier this year due to COVID-19. The wedding market has been booming to extremes last week with more than 600,000 couples celebrating their marriage, 11% more than last year.

The most critical part of arranging a wedding is the venue. Many popular sites have been booked 12 to 18 months in advance and many hotels, banquet halls and wedding venues were packed in many places in China.

Also other wedding related businesses surged in previous weeks such as wedding photography, planners, dresses and jewelry. Some up to 140% compared to last year.

Some people on Chinese social media complained about the high number of marriages as marriages are costly for family members or friends visiting. A significant red envelope is expected by everyone for providing the couple a fortunate start of their married life. The hashtag "return to poverty because of a wedding" was regularly to be seen :-)

Sources : sixthtone, cgtn, guardian