Society

Wedding a great burden for most newlyweds

By Zhang Jiawei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-08-09 11:44

Newlyweds spend nearly 150,000 yuan ($22,000) on their wedding in Shanghai, with 62 percent having their parents bear some of the cost, according to a recent survey.

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The survey, conducted among 100 new couples in Shanghai by the Shanghai Morning Post, found 34 percent can't afford a wedding ceremony that costs on average 150,000 yuan, an expense that consumes three years' salary of an average white-collar worker who earns between 40,000 and 60,000 yuan a year.

But 91 percent said they still would hold a wedding ceremony, with 74 percent saying they would let wedding service agencies arrange for them and 26 percent willing to do it themselves.

A man surnamed Zeng said it is quite expensive to get married and he felt like a "marriage slave" who fell into trouble in life after spending a lot of money on his wedding ceremony and banquets.

The newspaper said some banks even offer loans to finance the increasing wedding costs, and 33 percent said they would try this, while 67 percent said they wouldn't.