When Tiantian and her partner got married in May, the young couple decided to exchange vows at their favorite spot: a McDonald’s drive-thru in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

At the ceremony, there was no fleet of limousines, haute couture, or fancy banquet. The wedding rings were hidden inside a box of fries, which a McDonald’s employee handed to the couple as they collected their order. Then, the guests all sat down together to eat their Happy Meals.

For Tiantian, it was a dream come true. “Still basking in the joy of yesterday. We accomplished something we’d never even dared to imagine,” she wrote in a post on the social platform Xiaohongshu, which gained over 1,000 likes.

She is far from alone. Members of China’s Gen Z appear to have little interest in traditional wedding ceremonies, which they perceive as tiresome, overly formal, and cripplingly expensive. That’s leading a growing number of couples to tie the knot in karaoke lounges, hotpot restaurants, and even fast food outlets like McDonald’s.

Saying “I do” under the golden arches might not be everyone’s idea of romance, but the vogue for unconventional weddings is spreading rapidly in China. In March, a survey found that 80% of Chinese aged 15-24 support “minimalist” ceremonies. 

The growing preference for low-key weddings is partly about finances. Traditional Chinese weddings can be astonishingly expensive: A 2020 report showed that the average wedding cost 174,000 yuan ($24,600) in China, which is 8.8 times the average monthly income for a working couple. By 2023, this had reportedly skyrocketed to 330,000 yuan.

With consumers increasingly looking to tighten their purse strings, popular food and beverage chains including McDonald’s, Haidilao, and Heytea have launched special wedding packages to tempt couples. In September, hamburger franchise Wallace introduced a “79-yuan wedding meal package” for 5-7 people.

In Hong Kong, McDonald’s outlets offer a $385 wedding package, which includes a bridal bouquet made of McNuggets.

In a recent report, domestic media outlet Sanlian Lifeweek spoke with several couples who had held weddings in budget restaurants. Xiaoyezi, a 30-something from the southern Guangdong province who spoke using a pseudonym for privacy reasons, told the outlet she and her partner had chosen to hold their wedding at McDonald’s because it was affordable and reminded them of their student days.

On their big day, the guests drank Cokes and gorged on all-you-can-eat burgers and fries. The whole event cost less than 10,000 yuan, but it was “truly unforgettable,” Xiaoyezi said. Even better, the cut-price ceremony allowed the couple to pay for a romantic honeymoon in Greece.

But the trend isn’t just being driven by economics; it’s also a product of social changes. For many Gen Z Chinese, it’s the formality and outdated rituals associated with traditional weddings that are most objectionable.

On Chinese social media, many users have begun to speak out in favor of “Three ‘No’ Weddings” — referring to ceremonies with no convoy of limousines, no bridesmaids and groomsmen, and no bridal pick-up, a ritual where the groom has to gain entrance to the bride’s home by completing a series of challenges.

The growing popularity of “Three ‘No’ Weddings” has been trending on the microblogging platform Weibo this week, racking up over 40 million views, with many users commenting that they felt traditional wedding rituals were not only overly expensive, but also time-consuming and exhausting for the couple.

In some cases, Gen Z is also attracted to fast food wedding venues because they don’t serve alcohol. The toasts can be done using bubble tea or coffee rather than hard liquor, which avoids weddings descending into out-of-control drinking sessions.

This is particularly the case because there is a long history of bridal hazing rituals — a traditional part of Chinese weddings — getting out of hand after the guests drink far too much, leading to ugly scenes of sexual harassment and dangerous pranks.

On Sept. 24, this issue attracted attention once again after a video went viral online showing a bride being tied to an electric wire during a wedding.

Heytea, China’s largest bubble tea chain, has started offering discounts for wedding group purchases, along with personalized services for couples. They’re even giving free bubble tea to newlyweds registering for marriage.

Zhan Junhao, a brand consultant, told domestic media that non-conventional weddings are here to stay in China.

“Whether it’s a traditional wedding or a new type of ceremony, both are ways for couples to express love and commitment. There is no right and wrong when it comes to weddings,” Zhan said. “We should choose based on our personal preferences and circumstances while adopting a more open and inclusive attitude.”

(Header image: A couple posed at a McDonald’s store in Shanghai. @乚水思源 from Xiaohongshu)