1990s: A western style bridal veil, pink and rented
Zhi Ying, 38, recalled how she fought to be a fashionable bride in 1995. She insisted on wearing a western bridal veil on the freezing winter day despite strong objections from her mother.
“I’d rather go to hospital after the wedding,” said the courageous woman. Finally, the mother and the daughter made a compromise: the bride wore her dream veil, but only in pink as white was traditionally used for funerals.
Zhi paid six months of her salary to just rent the veil. “Western style wedding dresses were the trend in the 1990s. Most young people chose to wear western suits and gowns at weddings, at any cost,” she said, full of excitement even today.
Also, at that time, a groom had to give his bride a ring, a necklace and a pair of earrings, all gold, as wedding gifts, according to Zhi’s husband Wang. Washing machines, stereos and honeymoon trips became hot choices for newly-weds.
Wang added, “Another interesting thing is that professional wedding service companies came into being and became popular very quickly. At first, they only provided dresses for renting and helped brides put on make-ups; later on, they took on everything from car arrangement to ceremony anchoring.”