Grandiose nuptials tug on heartstrings - and purse strings

The global economic crisis is forcing everyone to tighten their belts but you can still cut loose on special occasions.

My wedding in May is one example. I wanted to hold a simple but stylish ceremony but my mother immediately objected, saying that since I was the only child in the family, we had to make it special.

Recently, we visited a well-known wedding ceremony company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The manager suggested a traditional Chinese wedding, with an eight-bearer sedan chair to pick up the bride, as well as a lion dance. Nice idea but my apartment is some distance from the road and I feared the unbearable summer heat would make the poor bearers faint on the way.

The enthusiastic manager was not easily deterred, however. "You must do something special at the start of your wedding. How about using the Beijing Olympics?" he suggested.

As I struggled to figure out the connection between my wedding and the Olympics, the manager turned on his laptop and showed us his best work from last fall.

There was a video about the final countdown to the Games, the foot-patterned fireworks and drum performances, for instance. Finally, the scene cut to the restaurant in which the couple held their wedding.

"The custom-made video was on a big screen next to the stage. All the guests were excited about it. You like it, don't you?" he asked cheerfully.