Forget traditional weddings. As Hongkongers' tastes evolve, so do their wedding celebrations, with couples splashing out on everything from eclectically-themed decor to hi-tech wedding favours for one-of-a-kind events.
'People always want their weddings to be a bit different and they don't mind spending more to make that happen,' says Evelyn Mills, founder and group creative director of luxury wedding planner Marriage Maestros.
One of the wedding banquets Mills planned, for example, had a Midsummer Night's Dream theme. The hotel ballroom was decorated with hanging gardens and a forest backdrop, behind which was a 'secret garden' of dessert treats.
'Themed weddings are very popular and the most memorable are the ones in which the couple choose a theme that represents who they are,' says Conway Lau, planning and business development director at Central-based wedding planner Pink Wedding.
He says couples are also doing away with conventional practices for a more modern feel.
Ice-breaker games and magic shows have decreased in popularity, while Lau says the iconic 'Pig Parade' - in which waiters carrying platters of suckling pig march into the dining room amid dimmed lights and grandiose music - is also on its way out. 'Younger couples find it cheesy and outdated,' he says. 'They would rather spend their entertainment budget on a live band.'