SHANGHAI: It was a dreamy wedding complete with open spaces, white lace gowns and delicious cakes. It’s the perfect day for gold diggers – Brie and Bond – to tie the knot in front of their best friends and loved ones.
House weddings are on the rise in China, where government policies have failed to encourage more people to marry in a rapidly aging society with a shrinking population and low marriage and birth rates. The popularity of pets and the desire to breed in them led to this trend. According to industry indicators, spending on travel companions will increase 3.2% to 279.3 billion yuan ($38.41 billion) in 2023.
“People get married. Why can’t dogs get married?” Bree’s owner, Ray Ling, said after taking his female animal on the trail, she always promised to share food and play with her husband, Bond.
Evenly distributed among China’s urban population, one in eight Chinese owns a cat or dog, with most owners under the age of 40, according to the research firm.
Ling and his girlfriend Gigi Chen, who say they are in no rush to get married, spent months carefully planning the wedding ceremony, hiring a professional photographer, preparing a wedding brochure and ordering an 800 yuan cake complete with toppers. It’s like Bree and Bond.
“I think there will be more dog weddings,” he said, adding that he has hosted several similar events since the bakery opened in 2022.
