A Big Mac wedding

HONG KONG — We all know kids love to have their birthday parties at McDonald’s. But wedding parties?

When it comes to getting married, most of us think of having the wedding dinner in a fancy restaurant in a nice hotel. For a niche group of die-hard hamburger lovers, however, celebrating your nuptials at McDonald’s is a dream come true.

It was revealed this week that McDonald’s wedding parties are so popular in Hong Kong that the fast-food empire has a dedicated wedding service there, available at 15 venues. Customers can choose from four different wedding packages, ranging from around HK$2,888 (S$463) to HK$9,999. The most expensive offering include a pair of “McDonald’s balloon wedding rings”, “character gifts” for up to 50 guests and a McDonald’s apple pie display.

McDonald’s spokeswoman Jessica Lee said that the programme, which started in 2011, had been launched “because many customers tell us that McDonald’s is where they first started dating ... McDonald’s is where their love stories grew.

“This connection is exactly why they want to hold their wedding parties and even anniversary parties at McDonald’s — to relive sweet beginnings and bring their romantic story full circle.”

A spokesman for McDonald’s said that it had no plans to roll out the service in other countries, but Hong Kong is not the only place that has witnessed nuptials among the chicken nuggets. Last year, a couple from England made headlines when they held their wedding reception at a McDonald’s that they ate in twice a week — but they had to make do with soft drinks instead of alcohol.

One might raise a few eyebrows among friends and family if you announced you were holding your wedding reception at McDonald’s — but in these straitened times, that might actually make sense. And at least there would be no worries about running out of napkins. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH