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BEIJING: Like many couples in the era of social estrangement, Ma Jialun and Zhang Yitong held their wedding ceremony online, but added a twist by broadcasting the event live to more than 100,000 strangers.
Coronavirus blockades and travel restrictions have forced people around the world to delay their nuptials or adapt to unusual moments by celebrating via the web link.
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But in China, where the live stream is extremely popular, some young couples are allowing anyone to see their big day and even send them gifts.
Creative entrepreneurs are also making money, offering people the option to spice up your ceremony with special effects.
READ: Comment: Virtual weddings are a great idea, they should stay beyond COVID-19
When boyfriend Ma and girlfriend Zhang got married in the eastern city of Hangzhou on May 1, more than 100,000 makeshift guests saw him live on the Bilibili video streaming site, leaving likes, comments, and virtual coins and presents.
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Only a dozen people were able to join in person.
Coronavirus blockages and travel restrictions have forced people around the world to delay their nuptials. (Photo: AFP / GREG BAKER)
Originally, the couple planned to hold the ceremony in January, but they were trapped in different cities when the virus outbreak stopped the country.
Public gatherings, including weddings, were prohibited.
The wedding preparations are restarting as all the provinces of China have raised their state of emergency to a high level and life is beginning to show some return to normality.
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However, banquets and large gatherings are still not allowed, leaving an online celebration as a preferred option.
Ma joined Zhang just a day before their wedding when Beijing lifted quarantine measures for all returnees after the couple’s three-month separation.
“This epidemic has made us feel that we could become the strength of the other,” said Ma.
Chinese couple Ma Jialun (left) and Zhang Yitong (right) broadcast their wedding live to more than 100,000 people. (Photo: AFP / Brochure)
The couple said they wanted to share their big day online to do something meaningful during the epidemic.
“It’s good to share our happiness with more people, even unknown netizens,” said Ma.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
Liu Wenchao, an online teacher, was one of the first to make live weddings popular in China.
According to tradition, her parents selected March 20 for their wedding eight months before the date, believing it was a luck based on Liu and her partner’s birthdays.
But the carefully crafted plans were interrupted by the virus outbreak. Due to travel and meeting restrictions, Liu’s parents in northern China were unable to attend their son’s big day, and neither were the couple’s friends and family.
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Thanks to her online teaching experience, Liu had the idea to broadcast her wedding ceremony live.
“I have used the live stream for online courses for almost a year. I thought that if we were to stream our wedding live, my family and my students could also join the wedding,” he said.
Liu and his girlfriend had a very simple ceremony in front of the camera: they exchanged rings, made a toast and ate wedding sweets on their bridal chamber alone.
As is common in China, the legal registration of marriage had already been completed.
The video of the ceremony published on Bilibili has become a success, with more than five million views and more than 860,000 likes.
“I didn’t expect so many people to love our wedding video,” said Liu.
“Maybe people need to see good news during this long epidemic.”
“INFINITE POSSIBILITIES”
While many couples are content with a simple ceremony, the Huajiao live-streaming platform has used special effects to give one of their employees the wedding of their dreams.
“When we were designing the wedding, the bride told us that her dream wedding would be held in a hot air balloon in front of a castle, so we used special effects to make her dream come true,” said the online wedding event of Huajiao. organizer Liu Qi.
Creative entrepreneurs have been taking advantage of the rise of online weddings, offering people the option to spice up your ceremony with special effects. (Photo: AFP / GREG BAKER)
He believes that these special effects and the opportunity to share the fun on social media will appeal to young Chinese.
“It can be hard to tell in the real world, but there are endless possibilities online,” Liu said.
More than 50 couples have already signed up for an online wedding package.
“Young couples have increasingly diverse demands,” said Liu.
“But this type of online wedding may become a new option for couples in the future, even when the epidemic ends.”
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