英伦广角 2009-05-03 危机下的浪漫婚礼

It's the biggest and
most expensive party you're ever likely to host, the average UK wedding now costs around 23,000pounds. And while the credit crunch¹ isn’t stopping couples tying the knot. Many aren't prepared to get tied up in financial knots.

"So, have you got an idea what style you are looking for? No, I've found a few different ideas, I, quite like ruching."

Something old and something nearly new. Bristol bride-to-be Catherine Balads
comes to Bernardos in east London to find her dream dress, but it's no fantasy, this collection includes well-known labels
at a third of the price.

"As I'm walking around ,and I’ve got my ceremony, I don't think people are gonna say: “Oh, you know, I can tell that one you know it's not expensive', I think it's in your own head. And I’m, I'm quite happy with , er,you know, if it means I have a gown that costs half as much, it means we can spend money, you know, in the other places,
we can go on a fancy honeymoon², maybe."

And some don’t even try before they buy, eBay this year has so far seen a 60% increase in wedding dress listings, and a 200% increase in engagement ring sales, and recession hit couples planning to say "I do", are increasingly deciding "no can't do" in other areas too, just 6% are prepared to slash³ their wedding photography budget, while 10% are choosing fewer flowers, though a staggering 49% are rethinking their honeymoon plans. In fact, so concerned that many of their venue⁴ or caterer⁵ falls victim to the credit crunch, wedding insurance is booming.

"It's a difficult time, and annoyance⁶, some businesses are struggling, and therefore wedding insurance gives you the peace of mind, if something does go wrong, actually you can go out and you can afford to a place that is supplied with someone else."

Come and have a look, it's been going under metal barn roof for about 10 years now. Not only our couples becoming more savvy⁷, the recession is turning them into hard-nosed bargain hunters, no need for that here though. At Luxters Barna in Henley upon Thames, you can get 40% off the hire of the venue and apparently⁸ Thursday is the new Saturday.

"Predominately Saturday is always the key day to have the party or wedding or whatever, and then Fridays, and then Sundays will see a lot more midweek activity, because it's cheaper."

"...caterer section"

So how much can you really save? Recruitment consultant⁹ Lucy and James are footing at least half of their wedding costs. "Dress, insurance", so they are doing a little recruiting of their own, friends are taking care of their photography, flowers and the cars, and by cutting down on numbers, they've saved around 10,000 pounds.

"Specially¹⁰ with the current climates at the moment with redundancy could be around the corner, and things like that, it's just we wouldn’t want to have the debt really after our wedding as well. We have saved money on the honeymoon, and we have asked for our gift list for contributions from people. I think nowadays it is a lot more acceptable to do that."

So it seems that trip down the isle¹¹ hasn't lost its attraction after all. It's just couples want to do it for richer, rather than poorer.
Paul Harrison, Sky News.

 

 

1 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

2 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

3 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

4 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

5 caterer   

n. 备办食物者，备办宴席者

参考例句：

• My wife went to a lot of trouble; she called a caterer. 我太太花了很多心血，她找了专办派对的人来。
• The wedding reception has been organized by an outside caterer. 婚宴由外界的饮食公司承办。

6 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

7 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

10 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

11 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。