Snap happy: Hong Kong’s multimillion-dollar pre-wedding photo business clicks back into gear after big-day Covid delays
- Tradition dictates that in Hong Kong engaged couples have their wedding photos taken weeks, or even months, before the big day
- After Covid-19 played havoc with marriage plans, photographers across the city are back in business, big-style
When Hong Kong celebrity couple Carlos Chan and Shiga Lin announced they would wed on April 24, social media went into a congratulatory frenzy.
But it was the manner in which singer Lin and TVB actor Chan – the star of Happiness and Ready Or Knot – announced the news, by releasing pre-wedding photos, that also sent online observers into a spin.
Unlike weddings in the West, where photos are usually taken on the big day itself, in Hong Kong, tradition dictates that snaps be taken weeks, sometimes months, before the actual wedding.
“Pre-wedding photos are usually taken three to nine months before the couple’s wedding day,” said Hong Kong photographer Jenny Tong.
“This is so the couple can share their visual love story with their wedding guests.”
Hong Kong photographer Derek Ko said the weather plays a big role in deciding when – and where – pre-nuptial shoots take place.
