英闻天下——433 Eco-friendly Marriage on the Rise

 　　In recent years, couples are choosing new ways to get married. Traditional banquets and wedding ceremonies are not the only way for newlyweds to make their big day special.

 

　　Disposing of complicated ceremonies and expensive banquets, including inviting¹ lots of people to dinner, the high cost of wedding dress and a photo shooting, an eco-friendly marriage is an alternative choice for a growing number of couples.

 

　　A woman surnamed² Shi explains why she'd prefer a simple way to get married.

 

　　"I don't want to have a wedding ceremony, but a wedding trip with the limited budget. Holding a wedding ceremony really costs a lot, some people spend 100,000 yuan or even more. But I don't want to spend a lot on it. As long as the couples who are getting married are happy, that's enough. "

 

　　For Kong Cheng and his girlfriend, the whole process of getting married is being reduced to dinner with family members and friends in a restaurant.

 

　　"We will hold a simple wedding. Then we will decide to have a honeymoon³. Because we are so busy working, and sometimes we have to work extra during weekends, it's a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. "

 

　　Kong's girlfriend says the basic idea to have a simple wedding is because an economical wedding involves no waste of resources.

 

　　"For me, I think the most important is the honeymoon. Meanwhile, we live very close to each other, so we've decided⁴ not to rent wedding cars. My future husband will ride a horse to pick me up, and I will sit in a bridal sedan. If he cannot ride a horse, just leading it is fine."

 

　　Some people regard conventional weddings as extravaganzas. Wang Hui, who is a photographer, says that a wedding is a personal issue instead of a social gathering⁵ and he has a personal dream he wants to fulfill⁶.

 

　　"I only want to complete my dream with my future wife. I want to ride a bicycle from Chengdu in Sichuan Province to Lhasa in Tibet along the Chuanzang Highway. This road is the most beautiful road in China. We will meet some difficulties while riding, but I think we will always remember the time we went through it forever."

 

　　Huo Jian is the partner of a wedding planning company called L&G Planning. He has worked in the wedding industry for seven years. He says no matter what kind of celebration people choose, the final result is to find happiness.

 

　　"Wedding culture has never changed since ancient times. It is always about love. Marriage is a commitment of understanding, tolerance⁷ and respect. No matter how people celebrate, they need to combine these aspects in their wedding to understand the meaning of marriage. The wedding is the start of their marriage; everyone hopes it is a good start. "

1 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

2 surnamed   

vt.给…加姓（surname的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He is surnamed Wang. 他姓王。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Alexander was surnamed "the Great". 亚历山大被加给“大帝”的封号。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

7 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。