Couples in China's urban areas spend an average of 126,600 yuan (US$16,790) on wedding ceremonies, home decoration and appliances last year, according to a survey issued by the Ministry of Commerce.

This survey covered 3.73-million couples' spending on eight marriage-related items: wedding photography, jewelry, wedding gowns, wedding designs, banquet, home decoration, honeymoon and home appliances, according to the Beijing Morning Post.

Average couples spend 39.39 percent of wedding costs on house decoration, 24.64 percent on home appliances and furniture, and 24 percent on wedding photography, gowns, designs and the banquet, the survey said.

Couples spent an average of 162,900 yuan to buy a home and 81.6 percent of them got financial support from their parents, the survey said.

Spending on 76 marriage-related industries totaled 1.54 trillion yuan last year, 1.08 trillion from urban areas and 460 billion from rural areas, the survey said.

In 2006, about 8.49 million couples married in China, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Shanghai's wedding organizing companies warned couples planning to get married next year to book early because food prices and other costs are shooting up, according to previous reports.

Food prices will make banquets more expensive next year, experts warned. For example, the Garden Hotel said wedding banquets now cost 4,288 yuan a table, and the price may be 200 yuan to 300 yuan higher next year.

(Shanghai Daily September 10, 2007)