Couples flock to tie the knot in Shanghai on lovers' day

Lovebirds in Shanghai flocked to marriage registration centers across the city on Tuesday, tying the knot in celebration of Valentine's Day.

In total, 1,128 couples made reservations to say "I do" at marriage registration centers across Shanghai for the day, about 30 percent higher than last year and even slightly higher than that of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

A total of 1,337 got their marriage certificates through the day, compared with 857 last year, according to the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

The Pudong New Area, Minhang and Changning districts had the largest number of couples marrying on the day.

"We made the decision to exchange vows on the day a month earlier, and waited until midnight when reservations started to secure a reservation slot," said a bride surnamed Wang at the Yangpu District Marriage Registration Center.

"The whole process was surprisingly smooth from premarital checkup and information input to getting the marriage certificate and taking photos," said Wang. "It was efficient, with a pervading sense of ritual."

Another couple made a cross-district registration at the center.

Shanghai started implementing cross-district marriage and divorce registration citywide from December.

In addition to registering marriage or divorce in districts where their Shanghai hukou, or household registration, is based, residents can now alternatively do it at centers in all other districts, according to the bureau.

"It offers more choices for locations to tie the knot and we can avoid peak places and hours," said a bride surnamed Huo, who lives in Pudong but got her marriage certificate in Yangpu.