No MC, no cameras, cash gifts instead: Chinese couple's 'four-none' wedding draws mixed reactions

A couple in their 30s in China has drawn attention for scrapping traditional wedding formalities and spending more on food and cash gifts for their guests instead.

According to the South China Morning Post on Monday, bride Zhu, from Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, and groom Wang, from Taizhou, held their wedding ceremonies in their respective hometowns last month. Both in their early 30s, the couple opted for what they called a "four-none wedding."

The four elements they dropped were the ritual of fetching the bride from her home, a luxury wedding car, a professional emcee and videography. They also did without groomsmen and bridesmaids — which meant none of the notorious pranks that wedding parties sometimes play on newlyweds or each other.

The couple made up for the stripped-down ceremony by spending generously on the reception banquet.

The banquet held in Ningbo, the bride's hometown, featured 45 tables and drew hundreds of guests. The couple spent 70,000 yuan ($10,500), or about 14 million won, on a spread that included premium seafood and a wide variety of dishes.

They also rethought the customary guest gift. While it is common in China to give cigarettes as wedding favors, Zhu decided few guests would smoke and instead handed out red envelopes containing 200 to 300 yuan in cash.

The bride's father kept his remarks brief — a 41-second speech thanking guests and wishing them an enjoyable meal.

"I attended a large wedding once, and the bride, groom, both sets of parents and all the guests looked worn out," Zhu told local media. "I wanted our wedding to be as simple as possible." She added that if the stress of planning made her parents ill, it would not be worth it.

Both sets of parents initially struggled to accept the couple's choices but later came around and gave their blessing.

The bride's aunt, surnamed Lu, who attended the ceremony, said she was surprised by the absence of traditional wedding elements but came away satisfied overall.

"The banquet was truly excellent — the best food I have ever had," she said.

When the wedding was covered by local media, online commenters rallied behind the couple, with reactions including "what a great choice" and "at so many weddings, the bride and groom look like they're putting on a performance in front of the guests."

Some were more skeptical, saying the celebration lacked the festive atmosphere befitting a wedding and warning that the couple might one day regret not marking such an important day more solemnly.

However, there was broad agreement that celebrating a marriage in a way that is meaningful to the couple — and easing the burden on guests and family — matters more than spending lavishly on empty formalities.