Extreme sports lover Liu Ning tries to send Xu Man a bouquet after descending from the fourth floor of a hotel to the second on their wedding in Wuhan of Hubei Province on January 8.(Photo: China Daily) Photo Gallery>>>

    The average rent for a nice lawn in a park is 30,000 yuan (3,875 U.S. dollars), not including decoration, buffet and service, she said. The hot-air-balloon wedding is much more expensive, reaching 100,000 yuan (13,000 U.S. dollars). Last year, a young couple paid more than 60,000 yuan (7,800 U.S. dollars) mainly for the service of professionals for a hot-air balloon ride.

    Many young people are attracted to a different wedding but experts suggest they should get a plan that suits their own pocket.

    "It is natural for the young to try new ideas and put some adventure into their wedding ceremonies, but everything should be on the premise that the couple love each other, are serious about their relationship and, of course, able to afford the wedding," said Chen Liguo, general manager of a wedding consultants training center in Beijing.

    The couple who wed in the church in Wangfujing said an impressive wedding did not have to cost a lot.

    "The wedding service in the church was free and we only donated several thousand yuan for charity," Guo said. "Any sum of donation is acceptable in the church."

    More commonly, couples in their 30s, who have settled down and have no worries about finances, favor more luxurious weddings, said Shu.

    "Most of our customers in their 20s, however, go for some simple new ideas in a traditional ceremony at a low cost."

    For example, at a candle-lit wedding feast, all the lights may be turned off and guests invited to light each candle on their tables. Then the newlyweds light the main candles to start the feast.

    "The silence and sparkling lights make for a heart-warming and unforgettable ceremony," Shu said.

    Some couples celebrated their weddings by releasing butterflies (symbol of enduring love), riding bicycles along with friends and breaking a piece of ice to get to the rings sealed inside.

    All of these are examples of simple, special and inexpensive novelty choices.

    (Source: China Daily)