CRI听力:Hong Kong Wedding Fair Kicks off to Welcome Valentine's Day

The Hong Kong Wedding Fair has kicked off on Friday, welcoming Valentine's Day, and attracting couples planning their big day.

While white will always be the traditional choice, CRI's Huang Shan reports that some brides in Hong Kong are planning to bring pastel colors to their spring and summer weddings.

From dress designers, ring makers to venue providers, more than 200 exhibitors are showcasing everything newlyweds might need at the fair.

Industry insiders say that when choosing a gown, brides-to-be are not only thinking about how they will look on the day, but that they are also planning their pre-wedding photo shoots.

Connie So, a bridal consultant with wedding dress maker Alisha & Lace, says the trend for pre-wedding photo shoot trips may influence brides' choice of what to wear.

"For Spring and Summer, wedding gowns with a separated top and skirt are more popular, because the newlyweds usually go overseas for their wedding photo shoot, those styles are easier for them to wear and carry along. They also prefer lighter-weighted fabrics. For the two-piece gowns, they can choose different styles of skirt like A-Line, fishtail, or flared hem, so they can have higher diversity of style changes."

Brides may even change into three or four different gowns for their lavish wedding banquets.

Eva Ho, director of Je T'aime Beaucoup, points out that this does not mean they plan cut down on the cost of their dresses.

"For the newlyweds that we are serving, the unfavorable economy won't make them make large changes in their wedding budget, their budget plans are more or less the same as in previous years. As a wedding is a once in a lifetime event, our customers won't have big changes in budgets compared with before."

After settling on outfits, the couples then need to decide on the destination for their pre-wedding photo shoot.

Joseph Wong, director of Joseph Photo and Video, says Paris remains a favorite destination for pre-wedding photo shoots, despite last November's attacks in the city.

"The worries just lasted for two months. When the situation happened, there was some impact on customers' decisions to go to Paris. We saw some impact of that on our photo shoot trips in November and December; customers changed their trips to other locations. But now we receive bookings to Paris again. I think Paris is still favorite of couples, also the euro currency is currently weak against the Hong Kong dollar."

Southeast Asian beach resorts are also among the popular destinations for Hong Kong couples.

Besides a big feast on the wedding dinner table, cupcakes and cookies with pink and yellow frosting are on offer to sweeten up the guests.

Hong Kong's Wedding Expo runs until February 14th.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.

Source: APTN