Western weddings are finally making their mark in the East. China has seen a huge boom in luxury fusion weddings as a growing number of brides want to wear the white gown down the aisle – a trend that was nearly nonexistent a decade ago.

Couples tend to incorporate traditional Chinese elements, such as receiving hongbao (red envelopes filled with money) from guests, and setting off firecrackers when they arrive at the wedding venue.

“Life is only once and everybody wants to have a good memory,” Sheng, 28, said. “Getting married is a big deal, so it’s OK to spend a little money and take many photos.”

According to analysts from the China Wedding Industry Development Report, couples now spend an average of $76,141 yuan ($12,000) per wedding in China. Putting that into perspective, the national average annual wage for urban employees was 56,339 yuan ($8,900) in 2014, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics.

For more upscale weddings, Chinese tend to spend anywhere between 350,000 yuan (about $55,000 to $63,000; equivalent to $350,000 to $400,000 in purchasing parity).

“I realized many brides were not content with the style and service many of the wedding planning agencies in Chinese cities were providing to them, said Ling Ying, who studied wedding planning in the US. “This is one of the most important days for a woman in her life, so they should have access to quality wedding planners that can plan a wedding they will remember for a lifetime.”

Other up-and-coming trends in Chinese wedding include small, destination ceremonies, with Bali and Thailand being most popular, and cruise-ship weddings.

The wedding industry has exploded in China, with over 1,000 new wedding planning companies having been registered in China alone.

—

To Check out our top picks for destination weddings, click here.