The China Wedding Expo has been held in one of Beijing's biggest exhibition halls. Despite last year's global economic slowdown, China's wedding industry is booming with more than ten million Chinese registering to marry in each of the past two years.

 

More than 12 hundred companies are offering an all-in-one service for those who are planning their weddings. From wedding dresses and jewelry to albums and banquets, from vehicles to honeymoons, love may not cost a thing, but a wedding certainly does.

In 2009, more than 14 million Chinese married. The value of the wedding industry hit 600 billion yuan which is around 2.5% of the country's GDP. The average cost of a wedding ceremony in Beijing is about 80 thousand yuan, and that doesn't include the cost of the wedding ring, dress, and photo album.

That's a far-cry from weddings 30 years ago when parents were happy to have just one black and white wedding photo and a simple meal with relatives and friends.

Visitor, said, "Our wedding ceremony is for our parents who almost didn't have a wedding ceremony when they got married. They don't want us to repeat their regret and now we have enough money to hold an average wedding, but in fact me and my fiance don't care about how luxurious the wedding should be. "