A minimalist wedding ceremony held in Jincheng, Shanxi, has captured widespread attention online after the groom revealed the entire event cost just over 16,000 yuan. The nuptials featured a 29.9-yuan wedding attire purchased online, personal vehicles as the wedding car fleet, a friend doubling as the videographer, and no professional emcee.

Speaking on September 17, the groom, Mr. Zhang, shared that the idea for the simplified celebration originated from his bride, Ms. Liu. Total expenses, including the banquet, came to approximately 16,000 yuan. The couple redirected the money saved from traditional wedding costs toward a new mobile phone for the bride and future travel plans, emphasizing their belief that spending on practical needs takes priority over lavish ceremony displays.

Zhang, 25, and Liu have been in a relationship for four years. He noted that while his wife once dreamed of wearing a formal bridal gown, after attending several friends' weddings, they realized that guests seated in the audience rarely focus on the pomp of the ceremony or the grandeur of the couple's attire. This realization led Liu to propose a stripped-down celebration, a suggestion Zhang readily supported.

Zhang works as a delivery rider, while Liu is employed at a milk tea shop, with their combined monthly income exceeding 9,000 yuan. As a tradition, Zhang has gifted Liu a five-gram gold bar each year for the past four years, accumulating a total of 20 grams. Liu, who does not wear bracelets, plans to store the gold bars securely.

The couple calculated that a standard wedding with a professional emcee for two hours would cost 1,200 yuan, a videographer could run over 1,000 yuan, wedding gowns would start at several thousand yuan, and not to mention the expense of a hired wedding fleet. They deemed such outlays poor value for money. Initially, Liu's parents objected, suspecting the groom's family was reluctant to spend. Zhang clarified that he proposed keeping the wedding budget unchanged, with all savings being handed over to his wife, a condition that won the parents' approval.

At the ceremony, an elder from the village filled in as the emcee. Following the traditional tea-serving and address-changing rituals to the parents, the ceremony concluded, and guests proceeded to the meal. The banquet constituted the largest expense, with 20 tables set at 500 yuan each to accommodate friends and relatives. After tallying the final costs, Zhang calculated a total expenditure of just over 16,000 yuan and subsequently handed over the remaining two to three thousand yuan of the original budget to his wife.