China's marriage-related industries like wedding photography and wedding ceremony services pluck an average of 125,000 yuan (about US$16,000) from the pockets of each newly-wed couple or their parents, more than the couple make in a year, reported Sunday's Beijing Morning Post citing a recent survey of the country's marriage-related industries.

An analysis of nearly 60,000 couples showed that more than 70 percent of the spending goes on durables such as furniture and home appliances.

The wedding itself -- the ceremony, photography, wedding gowns, the honeymoon and jewelry -- accounted for less than 20,000 yuan, 15.5 percent of the total, and analysts claim there is room for growth there.

The wedding feast accounted for the rest of the spending. According to the survey, overall marriage spending reached a whopping 557,478 yuan because it often includes the purchase of an apartment and a car.

Chinese people tend to regard an apartment as indispensable for starting a family while autos have become affordable for many and are a key status symbol.

The sums involved are huge for newly-weds, as 86 percent of those interviewed earn less than 8,000 yuan a month. 47 percent of the newly-weds interviewed admitted that 20-60 percent of the marriage-related spending came from their parents, while a minority of 14 percent relied on their parents to stump up 80-100 percent of the dosh.

The survey also showed that newly-weds in Shanghai and eastern China tend to spend more on decorating their apartments, while Beijingers and other northerners prefer to shell out on wedding photography, wedding feasts and honeymoons.

About 10 million couples get hitched in China each year, generating 250 billion yuan of marriage-related spending.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2007)