"We did not want to dress up in ancient Chinese costume and pose in a studio," Lu says.

Shi Kangning of the Committee of Wedding Service Industries says people often pay 3,000 to 5,000 yuan for 50 to 80 pre-wedding photos, but fewer people are doing so. Five years ago 90 percent of couples took the pre-wedding photo plunge; these days it is about 78 percent.

"The demand for (a different type of) wedding photography is the main reason for the decline, and some traditional pre-wedding studios are branching out into other wedding services," Shi says.

Chen says that a few years ago his main clients were foreigners living in China or who came to China for wedding ceremonies.

Now, he says, there are many mixed couples, high-income Chinese who have lived overseas, and locals who like the new concept.

"Besides shooting weddings, we do event shootings for private ceremonies and corporations. We also take commissions from magazines for editorial photo shootings."

In addition, he gives classes and seminars at universities, operating photo training centers or events across China.

Rauch also sees it as his mission to make people understand how important to is to have timeless images.

He gave a lecture at East China Normal University in Shanghai a few months ago, and will deliver another at Fudan University in October to promote his ideas. Indeed, education is part of his business strategy.

"We hope to cooperate with Chinese universities, and probably offer short courses, such as a one-day course or courses of several hours. My dream is also to work with other photographers to offer a one-year master's course."

He also has on the drawing board a brand aimed specifically at the Chinese middle class, with prices for a honeymoon photo shoot in Europe of between 10,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan.

But for all the Brave-New-World talk about wedding photojournalism, it seems that the tried and tested pre-wedding shoots, which originated in Taiwan, have not quite had their day.

Wu Dongsheng, 26, a website editor in Beijing, chose to spend 7,000 yuan to have pre-wedding photos taken in a studio and splashed out more than 10,000 yuan on three photographers from Miao Vision to shoot the wedding ceremony in a five-star hotel in Beijing.

The couple, with monthly incomes of 3,000 yuan each, hosted more than 400 guests, and the bill for the wedding, including photography, came in at 150,000 yuan -- with parents making a solid contribution.

Yang is coy about the studio's financial figures but says each of the six photographers there will have had 20 weddings on average in September. Every holiday is fully booked and photographers even have to shoot at night.

In cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, a photographer charges 4,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan, he says, and each wedding needs one or two photographers.

"For second-tier cities, our price is set at 3,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan, plus air fares and accommodation."

Frank Chen asks for between 12,000 yuan and 22,000 yuan.

Obtaining the services of the company run by the man Cosmo Bride calls the world's best wedding photographer obviously comes with a premium.

Rauch's company charges from 50,000 yuan, plus all expenses and travel for a team to fly in from Austria. In short, if you invite him to China for your wedding, you can expect little change from 100,000 yuan.

But Rauch and the 17 wedding photographers his company employs shoulder a sobering burden.

"We are storytellers. It's the most important event, and the wedding is the first chapter in the family history."

The story telling will be done free of the strictures that attend the highly organized wedding photography sessions prevalent in China.

"We never tell the customers what we are going to do," Rauch says. "We never order them around."

Two and a half years ago when Stephan Rauch Wedding Photo had its first media exposure in China in the fashion magazine Cosmopolitan, it created somewhat of a storm.

"People in China looked at the pictures and felt confused that these wedding photos were not taken in a studio. Today it has changed completely I think we are doing quite well now. We have been able to create something in China. Although it is a high-price service, it is very unique."

Lu Jingze, 36, a co-partner of Deloitte China, was the first Chinese client to go knocking on Rauch's door, spending 5,000 euros ($6,779) for his honeymoon photo shoot in Austria last October.

"We did not want to dress up in ancient Chinese costume and pose in a studio," Lu says.

Shi Kangning of the Committee of Wedding Service Industries says people often pay 3,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan for 50 to 80 pre-wedding photos, but fewer people are doing so. Five years ago 90 percent of couples took the pre-wedding photo plunge; these days it is about 78 percent.

"The demand for (a different type of) wedding photography is the main reason for the decline, and some traditional pre-wedding studios are branching out into other wedding services," Shi says.

"Besides shooting weddings, we do event shootings for private ceremonies and corporations. We also take commissions from magazines for editorial photo shootings."

In addition, he gives classes and seminars at universities, operating photo training centers or events across China.

Rauch also sees it as his mission to make people understand how important to is to have timeless images.

He gave a lecture at East China Normal University in Shanghai a few months ago, and will deliver another at Fudan University in October to promote his ideas. Indeed, education is part of his business strategy.

"We hope to cooperate with Chinese universities, and probably offer short courses, such as a one-day course or courses of several hours. My dream is also to work with other photographers to offer a one-year master's course."

He also has on the drawing board a brand aimed specifically at the Chinese middle class, with prices for a honeymoon photo shoot in Europe of between 10,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan.

But for all the Brave-New-World talk about wedding photojournalism, it seems that the tried and tested pre-wedding shoots, which originated in Taiwan, have not quite had their day.

Wu Dongsheng, 26, a website editor in Beijing, chose to spend 7,000 yuan to have pre-wedding photos taken in a studio and splashed out more than 10,000 yuan on three photographers from Miao Vision to shoot the wedding ceremony in a five-star hotel in Beijing.