A survey done by wedding media ESDlife was made public on Monday, with the results showing that over 10 percent of interviewees had to postpone their weddings due to the recent social unrest in Hong Kong.
From August to September, ESDlife interviewed 1,297 Hong Kong people who are getting married between 2019 and 2021, with the aim to understand the average expenditures on wedding and spending behavior of wedding couples in Hong Kong.
The results showed that the average wedding expenses of each couple in 2019 was 369,166 HK dollars (47,091 U.S. dollars), 2 percent slightly up from 2018. Wedding banquet ranked top among all wedding expenditures, with an average expense of 185,389 HK dollars per couple, up 4 percent from 2018. It was followed by rings and jewelry, averagely costed 72,328 HK dollars per couple; honeymoon trip, 38,680 HK dollars; and pre-wedding photography, 24,147 HK dollars.
In view of the recent social unrest, ESDlife conducted a follow-up interview in early October with 729 individuals who are getting married between September 2019 and the end of 2021. It revealed that 52 percent of interviewees were affected by the social atmosphere in various degrees, including postponement or cancellation of weddings in over one out of ten couples.
Other impacts include late deposit payment to wedding service provider and additional wedding expenses, as some interviewees expressed their concerns over transportation and safety of guests on their wedding day.
Casey Chow, marketing manager of ESDlife, said that some couples had to re-print all invitation cards due to postponement of wedding day, while some had to arrange shuttle vehicles for guests as the metro may end service earlier than usual.
"These are all the main reasons that caused the wedding expenditure to rise," said Chow.
According to statistics of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, the total number of marriage in Hong Kong in 2018 was about 49,300, down 5 percent from 2017. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.84 HK dollars)
