"Bridesmaids for hire" is the latest promotion offered by Cheng Fei, a wedding planner in east China's Jiangxi Province, and business is booming.
“伴娘出租”是中国江西省一位名叫程飞的婚庆策划从业者的最新业务,并且这项业务非常受欢迎。
"It is not hard to find a best man, but it is getting harder to find bridesmaids," said Cheng, who works at the Happiness Wedding Services Co., in Nanchang, the provincial capital of Jiangxi.
就职于江西省省会南昌市的幸福婚庆公司的程飞表示:“现在要想找个伴郎并不难,但是找伴娘却越来越难。”
Many Chinese couples like the Western wedding custom of having at least one bridesmaid and a best man.
许多中国的新人结婚都喜欢像西式婚礼一样有至少一个伴娘和一个伴郎。
"Many brides say that their friends live too far away or are too busy. Some are even worried that the guests' behavior is putting off potential bridesmaids," he said. "The bridesmaids-for-hire service has gotten rather popular especially after the 'Bali incident'"
程飞说:“许多新娘表示,她们的朋友住得太远或者太忙。还有的甚至担心宾客会对伴娘做出不当行为。尤其是在“巴厘岛事件”(包贝尔婚礼上伴娘柳岩被整)发生之后,伴娘租赁业务变得非常受欢迎。”
On March 30, actress Liu Yan was a bridesmaid for a celebrity couple in Bali, Indonesia, and she was almost thrown into the water by the best men. The video of her ordeal quickly went viral, drawing anger and condemnation from the public over the treatment of bridesmaids.
3月30日,演员柳岩作为一对明星夫妻在印尼巴厘岛举办的婚礼的伴娘,差点被伴郎团扔进水里。该事件的视频迅速在网上流传,招来大众对于粗鲁对待伴娘的愤怒和谴责。
"At least 15 couples have come to ask about hiring bridesmaids in the last ten days. Eight have placed orders, each demanding four to eight bridesmaids," said Cheng. "Usually we ask our female staff to take up the role, but if the clients request, say, better-looking girls, we can meet their demands." Each bridesmaid is paid 100 to 200 yuan per day.
程飞表示:“在过去的十天里,至少有15对新人来咨询过租借伴娘。其中8对已经下了订单,他们每对新人都要求有4到8个伴娘。一般我们都找自己的女性员工来扮演这个角色,但是如果客户有要求,比如说,漂亮的女孩儿,我们就要满足他们的要求。”据悉,每个伴娘每天能得到100到200元的酬劳。
With a growing number of young couples choosing to have a group of blushing bridesmaids, the for-hire business looks promising.
随着越来越多的年轻人选择在婚礼上拥有一群红光满面的伴娘,伴娘租赁业务就越发有前景。
"One is not enough for many. The trend is at least three bridesmaids and three best men, just for the atmosphere," said a woman surnamed Wu in Nanchang.
南昌一位吴姓小姐表示:“一个伴娘是不够的。现在的潮流是至少有三个伴娘和三个伴郎,就为了造气氛。”