Flying Veils Are China's Newest Wedding Trend

If you think Western weddings are becoming too extravagant, just wait until you see a Chinese wedding. Sometimes involving the groom being paraded around the streets on a horse or as many as 30 outfit changes during the ceremony and reception, Chinese weddings are as much about showing off as they are about celebrating love. And what better way to show off than joining in on China’s latest wedding craze: flying veils?

Yes, you read that right. As early as January of this year, videos of flying veils at Chinese weddings began taking Weibo – China’s Twitter – by storm. Now, even the West has taken notice, with people across the Internet either mocking it or standing in awe of it.

One Twitter user quipped: “1970: I bet we’ll have flying cars in the future | 2018: *flying veils*.” Another wrote: “Wow I’m not having a wedding unless there’s a flying veil that drops on me from the sky as I’m walking down the aisle.”

The trend involves the veil being rigged to a pulley and weight system on the ceiling and swooping in dramatically to be dropped gracefully on the bride’s head. Think Harry Potter‘s Dementors, but elegant.

The way the veil floats through the air is certainly reminiscent of Disney magic, and some commentators have even suggested attaching fake birds to the system to bring the look to full-on Cinderella.

Traditional weddings still exist in China, but as the industry tends more and more towards white dresses and alter vows, it is refreshing to see innovators adding their own spin to the age-old ceremony.

It is unlikely that the trend will spread outside of the country, as the world likes to laugh at China’s bizarre fashion trends and then move on.

For instance, do you still remember the hair sprout? What about the hairy leggings? Exactly.

But until the point when the flying veil goes the way of the A4 Waist Challenge, the trend will continue to be marveled at by wedding guests and Internet spectators alike.