In the civilized wedding, traditional Chinese etiquettes were simplified and the ceremony was significantly shortened. The groom wore a black robe with a mandarin jacket worn over it, while the bride dressed in a cheongsam and bridal veil, and carried a bouquet of flowers.

Traditionally, a bride wore red, a color symbolizing joy and happiness, on her wedding day. White symbolizes death or a funeral and, therefore, was not a traditional gown color.

Western-style dresses first came into fashion in China after Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling's wedding in December 1927. At the wedding, Soong wore a conventional western-style floor-length gown made of white satin and lace, and she carried a massive flower bouquet.

Western-style wedding gowns were considered a sign of bourgeois lifestyle during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) and were thus forbidden in China. Weddings during this era had to be as austere as possible, and most couples wore ordinary clothes while some dressed as Red Guards, carrying Chairman Mao's quotations in lieu of a bouquet.

Western-style wedding gowns made a comeback in China in the 1980s after the country started the Reform and Opening Up Policy. Today, most brides wear a western-style gown before changing into a cheongsam when it's time to make the toast.

Although wedding ceremonies vary according to different traditions observed throughout China, a western-style dress is a must-have for almost every Chinese bride-even those in remote, rural villages.

Zhang Chengjun, a 24-year-old migrant worker from Lixian County in northwest China's Gansu Province, noted that many brides in his village would like to dress in white, but the color is still a taboo for older people, so many opt for a red gown instead.

"My wife personally prefers the white one, because it is popular and also looks pure," Zhang said.

Still, brides in more open-minded villages can wear whatever dress they like. Yang Lei, a 26-year-old security guard from a small village in Handan, Hebei Province, said his wife wore a white gown that she thought "would make her look like a princess."

"I don't really tell my wife what she should wear.  She should just pick what she thinks is beautiful," he said.

"There has been a great shift in the mind of most Chinese people in accepting a bride wearing a white dress on her wedding day," said Yu Fan, who runs a wedding dress shop in downtown Beijing. "Today, almost every girl dreams of wearing a western wedding dress."

But, she said, the western-style gowns have been heavily altered to suit the stature and skin color of Chinese brides. Wedding dresses with clusters of sequins and embroidered peonies or phoenix are more popular than unadorned, simple dresses.