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How much do average Chinese spend on their wedding?
Hello! Thanks for your question about how much does the average Chinese spend on their wedding. The short version is that according to the China Wedding Industry Development Report, Chinese couples spent an average of 76,141 yuan ($12,000) in 2015. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
I have scoured the Internet for articles from trusted media sites related to this subject. For this research, I have focused on middle-class Chinese living in the urban parts of Mainland China. Therefore, “simple” weddings that are typically organized in rural areas and the extravagant 208 million yuan ($31 million) wedding between Chinese superstars Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming would not be part of this research. I would provide every figure in both US dollars and Chinese Yuan.
AVERAGE CHINESE SPENDING ON WEDDING
Today, Chinese couples are blending traditional Chinese customs and rituals with Western wedding tradition. Besides the traditional banquet for friends and family, a typical wedding ceremony in China would also involve diamond engagement rings and photo shoots. Depending on the “segment” of the wedding ceremony, the Chinese brides would wear different types of wedding dress.
According to the China Wedding Industry Development Report, Chinese couples spent an average of 76,141 yuan ($12,000) in 2015. Daxue Consulting had claimed in the last 30 years, the cost of wedding had increased by 4,000 times, and it had also estimated that couples in Guangzhou spend more than 400,000 yuan ($60,000) on average. Labor Daily had estimated that newlyweds in Shanghai spend over 200,000 yuan ($30,000). Chen Jining, the founder and CEO of Dreamarry, a wedding planning service in Shanghai noted that the cost of each table at a wedding banquet at five-star hotels in Shanghai and Beijing is 8,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan ($1,200 to $1,500) and 3,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan ($450 to $600) respectively. It should be noted that the “average spending” does not include the cost of betrothal gifts, which could cost up to 200,000 yuan ($30,000) in Beijing.
WEDDING DRESS
Unlike Western brides, Chinese brides may use up to five gowns on their wedding day, which are either purchased or rented. A Chinese bride would usually start her day in a “traditional Chinese attire called qua, a red and gold phoenix-embroidered dress for the tea ceremony,” and would change into Western-style evening gown or qipao, multiple times during the banquet later.
The cost of renting a mass market dress for three days in Shanghai ranges from 1,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan ($150 to $1,500). Chen also noted that it costs 7,000 yuan to 8,000 yuan ($1,000 to $1,200) to rent “four nice bridal dresses.” French designer Antony Duc and his Chinese wife had utilized a creative way to save money on a wedding dress. Instead of renting or buying, they visited a wedding market in People's Square, took pictures of the dresses that they like, and asked tailors to create similar garments.
In Shanghai, the cost of buying ready-to-wear dresses ranges from 8,000 yuan to 40,000 yuan ($1,200 to $6,000). Made-to-measure wedding dresses cost 20,000 yuan to 40,000 yuan ($3,000 to $6,000) for those with diamond and crystal detailing and 8,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan ($1,200 to $3,000) for those with a simple elegant style. Lin, who recently got married, claimed that “four nice wedding dresses” cost 8,000 yuan ($1,200) only in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, according to the China Wedding Industry Development Report, Chinese couples spent an average of 76,141 yuan ($12,000) in 2015. Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!