It was a dream wedding in a lovely place, with beautiful clothing and a tasty wedding cake. This perfect wedding day in front of friends and family is for Bree and Bond -- two golden retrievers.
That's right. The “bride” and “groom” are dogs.
Pet weddings are on the rise in China. This is happening in a fast-aging country where government policies have had little success in getting more humans to marry and have more children.
The popularity of pets and a willingness to spend money on pet weddings are driving the increase. In China, spending on pets in 2023 rose 3.2 percent from a year earlier to $38.41 billion.
Bree’s owner Rye Ling asked, "People have weddings. Why can't dogs have weddings?" Ling asked this after walking his pet down the aisle to exchange vows. The female “bride” promised to always share treats and play with the “groom” Bond.
The research firm Acuity Knowledge Partners said there were more than 116 million cats and dogs living in China’s cities in 2023. That means about one in eight Chinese people own a cat or a dog. And the majority of pet owners are under 40.
Ling and his girlfriend Gigi Chen said they are in no hurry to get married themselves. However, that did not stop them from carefully planning their pets’ marriage ceremony for months. They arranged for photographers, created made-up wedding certificates, and ordered a cake with a topper that looked just like Bree and Bond.
Yang Tao owns the Shanghai shop that made the cake. At first, she said she was surprised that people wanted wedding cakes for their dogs.
"I think there will be more and more dog weddings," Yang said. She added that she has already made cakes for several similar ceremonies since launching her shop in 2022.
"We have already received an order for a few months from now ... and that's for a dog wedding."
Ling said he hoped the ceremony would give Bree and Bond a "sense of ritual." Ling, who only wanted one child someday, said he hoped to welcome several puppies soon.
I’m Anna Matteo.
