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Reuters

Under a rare blue summer sky on London’s Westminster Bridge, Jiachun Lin poses in a flowing white lace gown and wind-tossed veil with her fiancé Da Song.
For Chinese couples, wedding photos are not simply about having a photographer show up on the big day.
They can be elaborate affairs involving costumes, make-up artists, camera assistants and trips overseas, sometimes even underwater, and take up as much as a quarter of the wedding budget.
“You can go to a studio to have pre-wedding pictures taken and you can pretend to be anywhere, they have so many backdrops,” said Song, 28, who will be tying the knot with his 24-year-old bride in Harbin, capital of northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province.

Think Beijing marriage market is bad? In Chengdu, even doctors don’t make the cut
Of course, it’s better if you can actually go there, said Song, whose photo shoot with UK Wedding set him back £1,000 (US$1,300). UK Wedding is one of several London-based companies catering exclusively to clients from China.
“I went to university in Newcastle, so England has always been very important to me. I want to show my family and friends what it means to me,” Song said.
Living in a globally connected world and given rising incomes, young Chinese are increasingly looking to impress with lavish weddings that mix traditional elements and Western trends, complete with a walk down the aisle, bridesmaids, ushers and even a hired wedding planner.
Never too broke for marriage ... Chinese couple’s bike-sharing wedding transport costs less than US$7
Revenue for China’s wedding services industry was estimated to have reached US$24.6 billion in 2016, data provider IBISWorld said in a report this year. That covered car rentals, restaurant decorations, photography and videography, among other things.

The list of popular photo shoot destinations stretches from Indonesia’s resort island of Bali to London, Paris and picturesque blue-and-white Santorini in Greece.
How much does it cost a man to get married in China? Clue: it involves a flat and wads of cash
“Some people just want to photo famous landmarks in London like Big Ben and the London Eye,” said UK Wedding founder Jeff Lu, adding that many couples now seek more authentic experiences.
“They might choose a really English-style small town, such as in the Cotswolds near Oxford,” he said.
For those who cannot travel, vast hangar-like Chinese studios bring the world to them, offering the chance to pose in front of a fake Greek village, a Chinese temple or the bedroom of French king Louis XIV – all in a single appointment.
Golden Ladies, one of Beijing’s wedding photo studios, caters to as many as 75 couples on busy days.
The Beijing marriage market: putting a price on a perfect match in a Chinese park
At a recent shoot, Chen Xueling, dressed in a shimmering blue dress and surrounded by opulence befitting a princess, gazed into the eyes of fiancé Wang Xinfeng.
The couple had to wait for three months for a slot.
“It’s worth it so that we can have these beautiful memories for the future,” Chen said. “During the wedding itself, we’ll put these photos on a screen.”


Flights, camera, action: Chinese couples go in pursuit of perfect wedding photos

A woman is dressed and made up before having photographs taken at the Golden Ladies wedding photography studio in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Bride Jiachun Lin of China poses for a pre-wedding photograph on Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, September 2, 2017. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez SEARCH "CHINA WEDDINGS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Xu Jiaqian poses underwater with a violin for a wedding photograph at the Qianyishi Underwater Photography Studio in Beijing, China, August 19, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter SEARCH "CHINA WEDDINGS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

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Young Chinese are increasingly keen to have lavish marriage ceremonies and getting the right shots is all part of the process


Flights, camera, action: Chinese couples go in pursuit of perfect wedding photos

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Young Chinese are increasingly keen to have lavish marriage ceremonies and getting the right shots is all part of the process

Young Chinese are increasingly keen to have lavish marriage ceremonies and getting the right shots is all part of the process