A young couple poses for photos with their marriage certificates at a marriage registration office in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province on May 10, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

May 20 is a date whose Chinese pronunciation resembles "I love you," making it a perennial favorite for newlyweds to register their marriages. This year, online appointment slots in many cities were fully booked well in advance, while local authorities rolled out themed registration venues and special services to celebrate the occasion. Marriage registration slots in cities, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province, Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu Province were snapped up in late April or early May, according to local media reports. 

To meet residents' demand for marriage registration, Beijing has expanded services beyond the 16 district service halls and introduced a number of themed marriage registration venues at historic architectural landmarks and scenic parks, according to a post published on the WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. 

At the outdoor marriage registration site at Huguo Guanyin Temple in Xicheng district, newlywed couples can immerse themselves in traditional Chinese wedding customs within the more than 600-year-old temple. After receiving their marriage certificates, newlyweds can stroll along the cherry lanes and the red-walled streets, easily capturing atmospheric, Chinese-style wedding photos, according to the post. 

In East China's Shandong Province, local civil affairs authorities have expanded themed mobile marriage registration sites and improved services to enhance couples' marriage registration experience, local media reported on Tuesday. 

In recent years, Shandong has upgraded the quality of its marriage registration services, moving beyond traditional indoor registration models and deeply integrating high-quality resources such as natural ecosystems, urban landmarks, and historical and cultural sites. The province has now established 67 themed mobile marriage registration sites. 

In response to this year's surge in marriage registrations on Wednesday, the province has added several new themed mobile registration sites. In Qingdao, multiple popular spots have been newly opened for marriage registration, including the Lover Dam lighthouse marriage registration site featuring a landmark lighthouse backdrop, and the country's first beer-themed marriage registration venue at the Golden Beach, per local media report.

In addition to themed marriage registration venues in the newlyweds' own cities, the combination of marriage registration and travel has become increasingly popular among young people. Since the newly revised marriage registration rules officially came into effect on May 10 last year, a total of 525 park-style marriage registration sites, 1,330 outdoor marriage certificate issuance bases, and 2,045 venues for showcasing wedding customs and culture have been established nationwide, China Central Television reported. 

In Shangyu, East China's Zhejiang Province, newlyweds can also board a cruise ship and glide along the shimmering Cao'e River, completing the entire process of marriage registration and certificate issuance in a one-stop experience on the water, according to Qianjiang Evening News. 

Independent demographer He Yafu told the Global Times that for newlyweds, these venues enhance the sense of ceremony and help create unique romantic memories. For cities, they help activate cultural and tourism resources while boosting consumption and visitor numbers.

Although online appointments were fully booked in many places, local civil affairs authorities have assured that couples who failed to secure reservations can still bring the required documents and queue on-site for marriage registration. Civil affairs authorities in many places have also issued reminders, advising residents to arrange their registration times reasonably and avoid peak hours. 

According to revised marriage registration rules, new couples can register marriages in any city nationwide. The nationwide marriage registration service has now been implemented smoothly. Multiple services have been integrated into a "single-process" service package. Authorities have also streamlined related services by cutting required paperwork from more than 10 documents to as few as three, enabling some applications to be completed on the same day, the Economic Daily reported.