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August 25, 2019

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Home » Sunday

Pictures are perfect for wedding day

By Fred Dufour | 00:05 UTC+8 August 25, 2019 | Print Edition

A happy couple exchange a kiss for the camera, the bride in a white off-the-shoulder dress holding a delicate bouquet, the groom in matching white suit, standing together on a green lawn lined with pink blossom.

It looks like the perfect wedding memory — except it’s not their wedding day. Instead, it is part of a booming industry in China for increasingly elaborate pre-wedding photos.

For those who can’t afford to travel overseas or to Chinese tourist hotspots in search of suitable backdrops, companies such as the Love Story in Rome studio bring a range of backgrounds, costumes, accessories and themes together — all within one Beijing complex.

“It’s really tiring to shoot outside, moving from one place to another place,” said bride Zhao Tianyou, 25, who had been in front of the camera since 8am. “The wedding shoot center is indoors and it provides everything you want.”

Rows of couples pose for photographs inside the sprawling complex in Beijing, with settings ranging from tropical gardens to autumnal fields, waterfalls to starlit skies.

In one carefully stage-managed shot, a bride in a white dress floats half-submerged in water, drinking a glass of wine.

“Chinese wedding photography has become more customized,” said general manager Zhao Rongchang.

“Chinese people used to love to go on trips for shooting their wedding photos. But now they prefer to shoot indoors and like a more precise photography style.”

The value of the wedding industry in China has been booming, with research group ASKCI predicting that by the end of 2019 its value will reach 2.27 trillion yuan (US$320 billion).

Zhao says between 50 and 60 couples come to their center every day on a quest for the perfect snaps.

The enormous building is full of aisles of clothing and accessories in every color, from traditional red Chinese wedding outfits to modern Western-style white gowns and suits.

“I love all the styles they’ve designed for me,” said a bride surnamed Wu, aged 26. “It’s a bit tiring, but I’m very happy.”

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