Triple 8 is the new lucky wedding date / LJWorld.com

Archive for Sunday, July 29, 2007

July 29, 2007

New York — Fresh off the 7/7/07 wedding bonanza, 8/8/08 is shaping up as the next must-have, I-do date.

While it's still relatively early, reception halls, restaurants, caterers and photographers are booking up.

Couples are signing on, even though the triple eights fall on a Friday, a less desirable day for walking down the aisle.

Chinese brides and grooms are leading the pack. The number eight is considered especially lucky in Chinese culture because the pronunciation of the number eight sounds like the word for prosperity. Repeat it three times and you increase your luck. The Summer Olympics in Beijing will begin on 8/8/08 - at 8:08:08 p.m.

Chris Chen, CEO of Dynasty Weddings, a wedding planner on the city's Lower East Side who caters to Chinese couples, has fielded 10 inquiries for the date so far.

"We like to do three weddings max a day, but we might end up doing four to five because of this hot date," Chen said.

It's not just Chinese couples jumping on the eights. Vicki Gonzalez, 40, an office manager from Bergenfield, N.J., said she set the date for marrying Gilbert Rivera, 48, a corrections officer from Nyack, N.Y., because it's memorable.

"We needed a date that would stick in our minds 20 years from now," said Gonzalez, who wanted the date even if it meant "I had to get married in my backyard." Luckily, it won't come to that. The couple has booked the Cap Juluca resort in Anguilla.

For those still on the fence, wedding experts advised happy couples to move quickly. Beware of vendors who might hike prices as demand builds. Fridays should generally be 25 percent less expensive than Saturdays, Manhattan, N.Y., wedding planner Lindsay Landman said.