“Young people in China are increasingly having weddings at places like McDonald’s and hot pot franchise Haidilao.
The South China Morning Post reported on the 17th that young Chinese are rejecting extravagant weddings and opting for affordable ceremonies at venues such as McDonald’s and Haidilao.
Traditional Chinese weddings tend to be luxurious and complicated, but the younger generation is turning away from this and creating new cultural practices.
The main advantage of a wedding at McDonald’s is minimal expense. A recently married bride invited about 20 guests and held her ceremony at McDonald’s.
The cost for renting the venue was 800 yuan (approximately 150,000 KRW), and the total expense of the wedding, including food and decorations, was around 2,000 yuan (approximately 380,000 KRW).
She explained that she often went on dates with her husband at McDonald’s during school days, and shared her sentiments about getting married at a place filled with memories.
She added, ‘We toasted with cola instead of wine at McDonald’s and enjoyed a feast of hamburgers and fries while chatting. It was an unforgettable day.’
With the savings from the wedding, they decided to have their wedding photos taken in Greece.
Another couple recently held their wedding at Haidilao. Haidilao offers a service where employees personally decorate the store and even prepare celebratory songs.
The couple who married at Haidilao stated, ‘A lavish wedding attracts attention but only for one day. We prefer to invest in our daily lives.’ They plan to use the saved funds for their newlywed home interior.
Local netizens responded mostly positively to this cultural shift. One netizen commented, ‘You could commemorate your wedding every time you go to McDonald’s.'”