A WEDDING consumption subsidy system has been launched on a trial basis in Shanxi and Anhui provinces in order to encourage couples to tie the knot and promote rational spending on weddings. Beijing News comments:

The funds for the subsidy come from the China Association of Social Workers. And the subsidies provided this year are expected to reach 95 million yuan ($15.12 million).

The subsidy will be given to couples that marry within a year through companies providing wedding photos, wedding ceremonies, honeymoon travel and even new home decorations.

According to the association, the pilot program has been launched in three cities in Shanxi province and two in Anhui province. In Taiyuan, Shanxi, more than 1,000 newly married couples have received the subsidy.

Although the subsidy is quite limited compared with the overall wedding consumption, it is expected to encourage more couples to marry and make spending on weddings more reasonable.

In the future the wedding subsidy is expected to expand to more provinces.

The wedding subsidy mechanism abides by the public service model in which enterprises participate and the authorities supervise, which will bring more benefits than simply providing a financial subsidy to the newly married couples.