EDITOR'S Note:

Shanghai's strong economic growth should be attributed to not only the robust performance of state-owned enterprises but also the emerging power of the private sector. The number of private businesses now accounts for 72 percent of the total in the city, according to the local statistics bureau. Shanghai Daily today launches a biweekly column about small business people in Shanghai and how they cope with the challenges of entrepreneurship.

When the first note of the "Wedding March" is played, the bride walks down the aisle to her waiting groom. This is the perfect moment - to be captured and remembered for a lifetime.

Ricky Li and Cindy Wang, two Shanghai residents who are nearing 30, not only remembered that moment in their lives but also saw a perfect opportunity to help other couples capture it. In 2004 the pair started a business as marriage planners.

"Getting to know the stories of these lovebirds was interesting and inspiring," said Ricky. "How they fell in love with each other. How they started their relationship. How they survived the ups and downs of courtship and finally got married."

They call their business Moment, a reference to the song "Perfect Moment."

"We are willing to take the pressure"

Nonetheless, the couple has set up a second office in Shanghai and is considering expanding into wedding photography, wedding candies or other related areas. They are also looking at providing a service to videotape wedding ceremonies held overseas for playing at the wedding banquets held later in China.

Wedding planning has its drawbacks. The most obvious is the unlikelihood of repeat customers. Then, too, the wedding market is seasonal. Cindy and Ricky might undertake planning for 50 weddings in peak marriage seasons such as May and October. During July and August, they may be lucky to get even one.

When things are rolling, Moment's profit margin is around 25 percent. But the company has to pay 9,000 yuan a month to rent an office and meet payroll for about 20 staff even when income dries up.

It's been hard work, but Cindy and Ricky say they regret nothing.

"It's been our baby for the past five years," Cindy said. "Despite all the painstaking work and hard times, we wouldn't think of abandoning this business. We chose to set it up; we are willing to take the pressure. We want this company to expand and thrive. That's what holds us to it."

Last year, the couple had their own baby and were thrilled when former clients, now parents themselves, sent congratulations.

Hmmm ? the baby business.

"Well, we're still young, so anything can happen," mused Cindy.

"Service plays a key role"

In order to appeal to more people, Moment also offers a free online service to answer questions from couples wondering how to decorate their wedding suite or which wines are appropriate to order for the wedding reception.

"Service plays a key role," said Ricky, "We kept investing time and money in building up our company's name. It took more than a year before we had built up a stable flow of customers and began turning a profit."

Sometimes the company forfeited profitability in order to enhance its reputation.

Ricky recalled the bride who wanted phalaenopsis orchids to decorate the wedding hall. However, unexpected heavy snow in the southwestern city of Kunming, China's flower capital, damaged the blooms and pushed up prices.

"The anxious bride was concerned there would be no orchids at her wedding, so we swallowed the higher prices and surprised the bride with a dream wedding at no additional cost," said Ricky. "Our image is our sustenance."

Being successful means staying ahead of the pack. Moment tries to create its own style, which has to be constantly upgraded as copycats in the industry seize any new idea that comes along.

There are so many factors to consider for each wedding, said Ricky. "Sometimes they are trivial and even tiresome: selection of hotel, choosing the color of tablecloths, the backdrop and reception area.?

It's a seven-day week, 12-hours-a-day commitment for the couple.

"Sometimes I skip meals because I'm on the run," said Ricky. "It's almost inhumanly possible to cope with all the details that have to be remembered."

"The first half-year was tough..."

Ricky and Cindy were classmates at Fudan University, where they majored in finance. After spending several years together, they decided to get married and began planning their wedding in 2004.

Cindy, who described herself as a very sensitive girl, got her first glimpse of the fledgling wedding planning market during those preparations. The germ of an idea was sown.

After graduation, both were working at 9-to-5 jobs in the loans section of a bank. Their entrepreneurial spirit motivated them to quit after six months to start up a mortgage-related business of their own.

When the China's central bank tightened lending in 2004, the business suffered. Where to turn? The wedding-planning idea began to take root.

Marriage certainly had a more stable outlook than lending, as more Shanghai couples sought to take their vows amid the regalia of a full-blown, Western-style wedding. In China, most couples marry formally at a registry office with no fanfare. Once they have organized a place to live - which can take months - they hold a marriage ceremony and throw an elaborate reception for friends and families.

Cindy and Ricky knew that many couples spare no expense and often hire wedding planners to stage and manage events. This was a growing industry with lots of profit potential.?

The couple borrowed 200,000 yuan (US$29,283) from the bank where they had worked to start up Moment. They also put in 200,000 yuan of their own money.

They decided to target higher-income couples willing to pay at least 20,000 yuan for their wedding, which includes photography, videotaping, make-up and a master of ceremonies. That compares with an average wedding cost of between 8,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan.

"The first half-year was tough because we weren't sure if we could do the business well or how many customers we might get," said Ricky, the company's chief operating officer.

They advertised in magazines - costing up to 8,000 yuan a month - and online sites such as liba.com and dianping.com.

Gradually, some customers began to appear, and their numbers were multiplied by word of mouth as their successful weddings generated more sales.