Chinese couples tie the knot without a face mask embracing normalcy amid COVID-19 pandemic
Lovebirds in China are embracing a sense of normalcy as the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be under control in the country where it was first detected. The first half of 2020 was a nightmare for the multibillion-dollar wedding industry. Many couples were forced to postpone their nuptials after large gatherings and events were banned.
Associated Press
January 03, 2021 / 06:20 PM IST
Lovebirds in China are embracing a sense of normalcy as the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be under control in the country where it was first detected. (Image: AP)
Chen Yaxuan and Dou Di exchanged vows in front of more than 500 guests in an unmasked wedding on December 12 — a day called “double twelve” and considered auspicious timing. (Image: AP)
Servers wore masks, but guests were not required to. They just had to show a green health code, showing they had only been in low-risk areas and not tested positive in the previous 14 days. (Image: AP)
A year into the pandemic, most people feel the situation is under control if not back to normal. The National Health Commission reported just 27 new cases on December 28, a dramatic decrease from China's peak. (Image: AP)
The first half of 2020 was a nightmare for the multibillion-dollar wedding industry. Many couples were forced to postpone their nuptials after large gatherings and events were banned. (Image: AP)
It wasn’t until late April that a turning point appeared. Those who had to push back their weddings helped revitalize the industry when restrictions were lifted, keeping the shrinkage of market below 6 percent in 2020, according to Zhang Yi, CEO and chief analyst of iiMedia Research, an industry analysis firm in Guangzhou in southern China. (Image: AP)
Ning Jingyu, the wedding planner for Chen and Dou, believes the future is bright. Her studio has organized 33 weddings in the second half of 2020, down 50 percent from the same period the previous year. Workers from a wedding planner company set up decorations a day before an unmasked wedding banquet in Beijing on December 11. (Image: AP)
On a recent morning, at least seven couples showed up for photo shoots near the Forbidden City, a historic area in Beijing popular for wedding photos, even in freezing temperatures. (Image: AP)
A couple has their wedding photos taken outside the Wangfujing church in Beijing on December 25. (Image: AP)