SAY CHEESE: A Chinese couple go for the perfect shot during the prenuptial build up (MAYA REID)

Westernized wedding customs are being increasingly adopted by couples around the world. "White weddings" have spawned their own industry, and the pressure to find the perfect dress, caterer and location can be overwhelming, not to mention costly. But the excitement can be great, too, hence their popularity. What happens to tradition in all of this? Song Meifeng, business news editor of Norstar Times, a Canadian-invested Chinese monthly, and Tiisetso Moremoholo, an African MA Business Journalism candidate studying at Tsinghua University in Beijing, discuss what makes up the wedding status quo today in China and Lesotho.

Globalized Styles in China

by Song Meifeng

I think about this exchange often:

"I take you for my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part," the groom says to the bride solemnly.

And also this:

"I now declare you husband and wife," the priest says.

That would be an amazing moment. It might be the only time my imagination matches reality. I'm not a Christian, but I like the idea of a church wedding. Nowadays, many people prefer a Western wedding, just like me. I don't see it as worshipping Western culture or being unpatriotic. It is just another choice available to young couples.

As a mark of globalization, pluralism brings people choice. For example, I have many friends who are keen on films. Some of them like European art films or favor Hollywood blockbusters, while others prefer Hong Kong kungfu films or are Bollywood fans. These diverse options are a result of cultural pluralism, something not enjoyed 20 or even 10 years ago.

With Western weddings now popular in China, there are those who worry traditional Chinese wedding culture is under threat. This is a needless worry: In recent years, many couples have returned to convention, electing to have traditional ceremonies over the myriad modern wedding choices available. Urbanites especially are growing tired of lawn weddings, cruise weddings, castle weddings and church weddings.

"First, kowtow to the heaven and earth. Second, kowtow to your parents. Third, kowtow to each other." Against a backdrop of firecrackers, gongs and drums, the three kowtows in classical Chinese weddings are reappearing in modern day ceremonies. Tradition is making a comeback.

Last month, I attended the wedding of one of my college classmates. It was a typical Chinese traditional affair and featured "riding the bridal sedan chair," which was an integral part of Chinese ceremonies hundreds of years ago. The ritual was a huge hit with the guests on hand.

My classmates are not the only ones going back to tradition. New couples wanting an exciting wedding are picking the traditional Chinese option. As a bonus, generally speaking, a Chinese wedding costs less than a Western one.

There are also Chinese-Western weddings that mingle the two ceremonial styles together. And as China progressively opens up, there is increasing international media coverage on China. Many foreigners are learning about Chinese culture, and now often people from other countries have Chinese weddings of their own.

The famous English philosopher A. N. Whitehead once said, "A diversification among human communities is essential for... the Odyssey of the human spirit." More and more people have overcome the barriers of race, language and nation to become global citizens. It's this mosaic of a world that reflects the ancient Chinese philosophy of "seeking harmony without uniformity."

Therefore, there's no need to worry that Western weddings will overtake their Chinese counterparts. Which one to choose is just another choice made possible by globalization. Just as some people like coffee and others prefer drinking tea, Chinese and Western wedding styles will continue to coexist in a similar fashion.

But, if one day a man proposes to me, I'll ask him to give me a Western wedding.