Chinese couple holds "bike wedding"

A newlywed couple in Qinhuangdao City proved you do not need an engine and four wheels to drive romance to a new high.

Instead of the usual display of pomp and wealth of a wedding car, on the day of his wedding Wei Xiaolong collected his bride-to-be, Han Xiao, on a bicycle. The bike was covered in flowers and the wedding procession included 88 other cycling enthusiasts whose bikes had also been lavishly decorated.

The young couple said that in addition to their love of cycling, they had chosen to organize a bike fleet as it was more environmentally friendly.

Wei said they met in a biking activity, and to pursue Han, he quit his job in a large company to work in Han's family bicycle shop. After four years of hard work, both fixing bicycles and courting Han, Wei won the heart of the woman he now calls his wife.

The bicycle wedding was proposed by Han's father's biking club. Mr. Han said he was worried people may look down on the family for their choice, but the "eco-friendly and impressive" wedding soon won everyone over.

Though bicycle was once commonly used as a wedding car in the 1960s in China, the country now sees a growing obsession with luxury limousines, considered a showcase of the groom's wealth. A Rolls Royce can cost as much as 10,000 yuan (1,600 U.S. dollars) for such an errand. Endi