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If you want a crazy 8s wedding, you better start planning now
August 8, 2008 has emerged as the next trendy, triple-digit date on which to walk down the aisle.
"It is becoming the new 7/7/ 07," says Kathleen Murray, deputy editor of the Knot magazine and www.theknot.com. "It's definitely become a very hot wedding date. A lot of couples are booking now. All couples are looking to make their wedding unique and personal. They look to tradition and symbolism as wedding themes.
"And of course this is a cool sounding number, just like 7-7-07."
The date falls on a Friday, which means that it likely will be less popular than July 7, 2007, which fell on a Saturday. But Friday weddings are becoming popular among cost-conscious couples, Murray says. She says about 70 percent of couples now pay for some or all of the cost of their wedding.
"If you want this date, you need to book now," she says.
Olga Watkins, owner of Elite Catering, in Highland Park, says she has at least one wedding tentatively scheduled for 8/8/08.
Because Saturday weddings are in such demand, many vendors offer discounts of as much as 10 percent for Friday nuptials, she says.
"If you're spending $10,000 somewhere, then $1,000 off the bill is nice," she says.
Friday weddings usually don't have to be planned as far in advance as Saturday ceremonies, says Maja Pederson, owner of MB Bride & Special Occasion, in Greensburg. But her shop has already received more than the usual amount of orders for bridal gowns for 8/8/08, she says.
"We don't expect this to be as big (as 7/7/07) but it will be big," she says.
The number 8 is considered lucky in Chinese culture. Many hotels and airlines in China incorporate the number 8 in their phone numbers. The Summer Olympics in Beijing will commence at precisely 8:08:08 p.m. on Aug. 8, 2008.
Pastor Caleb Chang, a pastor at the Pittsburgh Chinese Church, in McCandless, says people from the Canton province often hold weddings or open a new business on a date with an 8 in it. The more 8s, the better, he says.
"The pronunciation of 8 -- fa -- is the same pronunciation as the Cantonese word for prosperity," he says.
Another piece of advice to hopeful 8/8/08 brides: Those triple digits shouldn't mean triple the price. Compare costs to make sure vendors don't jack up their fees because of the demand for that particular day.
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