Expo is place for couples to say 'I do'

• Source: Global Times
• [10:28 May 07 2010]
• Comments

A newlywed couple from Zhejiang Province pose for wedding photos outside the China Pavilion Tuesday. Photo: IC

By Zhang Cao

Some couples tying the knot Monday plan on using the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai as a backdrop when saying their vows, despite discouragement from organizers.

Following the suit of a couple who had their wedding photos taken Tuesday outside the China Pavilion, a group of 10 Chinese couples are determined to consummate their marriage next week in front of the structure representing the Chinese mainland, said the China Wedding Industry Alliance (CWIA), a trade organization based in Shanghai.

"We didn't tell the China Pavilion, so they don't know of our plans," Jin Yin, a wedding coordinator with CWIA, who is in charge of organizing the ceremony, told the Global Times yesterday. "If we tell them ahead of time, they will likely prevent us."

The group wedding will commence on Sunday at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong New Area before the couples arrive at the six-month show the following day, where they plan to secure their eternal love for each other outside the China Pavilion through a traditional ritual involving concentric locks.

"It will be a very simple service," said Jin. "The couples will be joined together by the locks and then have their photos taken."

But the couples will be dressed in plain clothes rather than formal wedding attire to deter attention, added Jin.

Meanwhile, organizers have said they frown upon couples having their wedding photos taken in front of pavilions as it inconveniences visitors. But there is no clear ban on such activities so far.

Calls made by the Global Times to organizers yesterday were unanswered.

Other wedding companies also have plans to have their clients married at the Expo as an increasing number of clients are interested in marking their once-in-a-lifetime occasion with an opportunity that will not likely come up again, according to the Shanghai Wedding Trade Association.

With a rumored 1,400 some couples choosing to celebrate their big day over the coming months at the France Pavilion, the cube-shaped structure may be fitting for Chinese looking to add Western flavor to their ceremony as the country is highly regarded as one of the most romantic places in the world.

Speaking to a different tune of organizers, the pavilion representing the country of the "Language of Love" said that it would be honored to have Chinese couples marry inside their Expo home.

"Couples who come dressed in their wedding gowns and suits are most welcome to hold their ceremonies in our pavilion," said Zheng Lan, a press officer for the France Pavilion.