Bride dons 100 gold bangles at $30M Chinese wedding

The bride (second from R) wears 100 gold bangles around her neck at a wedding in Fujian, China in Feb. 2024. Photo from Douyin/Fairydouding

The event, which took place in the grand ballroom of the groom’s family palatial residence earlier this month, was highlighted by viral photos showing the bride appearing slightly bent forward under the weight of the gold bangles around her neck, according to the South China Morning Post.

The New York Times reported that akin to the significance of a diamond ring in Western traditions, the quintessential adornment for a bride in China is the wearing of 24-karat gold bangles.

A woman in a cheongsam holding gold ingots. Illustration photo by Freepik

A netizen expressed their astonishment at the spectacle on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, saying: "It has broadened my horizon. Poverty limits my imagination."

"Compared to this magnificent wedding, any novelist describing extravagant weddings will find they are too conservative," another commented.

The groom has been identified as Ye Dingfeng, the son of Ye Guochun, chairman of China’s leading gold jewelry retailer Lao Feng Xiang. It is believed that the bride, Yang Hanying, is the daughter of a manager from the same company in a northern province, though the company has not confirmed these speculations.

Guests of the nuptials were treated to a menu that featured king crab, lobster, shark fin soup, bird's nests, and Australian abalone, with each table also boasting a bottle of Kweichow Moutai, a high-end Chinese liquor.

Adding to the grandeur, the wedding featured 50 female usherettes dressed in red and dance troupes performing ancient rituals, enhancing the guests’ experience as if they were attending a noble family’s wedding from a bygone era. This sentiment was echoed by a guest who shared their experience on Douyin, noting the event felt like a journey to an ancient wealthy noble family's wedding.