A Chinese bride poses for a pre-wedding photo in London. [Wei Tao/VM Studio]

A gigantic, generously framed photo hanging on the wall may be the most important decoration you will see in the home of a Chinese newlywed. And if a Chinese person tells you he or she is about to marry, social etiquette will be satisfied if you instantly ask if you can see the wedding photos.

Yes, see the photos, for in China most wedding photos are taken as much as a couple of months before the nuptials, rather than on the big day. These photos will not be just tender records for posterity, but more immediately will be must-have elements in invitations, posters and big screens displayed at the ceremony. And of course, bland will not do; extreme glamour is the order of the day, and for the photo shoot bride and groom will don exotic clothes the likes of which they are never likely to don again.

Pre-wedding photos are not new, as is attested by the number of black-and-white pictures you can find of happy couples in army uniform, white wedding gowns and evening dresses.

These days, though, the settings in which such photos are taken are becoming increasingly more exotic, indeed often more exotic than the wedding garb itself. And if it is an exotic location that a couple wants, it is obvious that in many cases, particularly among those who are a little better off, distant shores will beckon.

Such was the case for Liu Wenwen, a human resources officer with China International Capital Corporation in Beijing who went to Greece for 14 days in June and had 400 wedding photos taken in one day.

Liu says she was staying on the island of Santorini and contacted the photographer through the hotel at which she and her fiance were staying.

"I had a good look at the photographer's website and felt he was trustworthy. He put me on to someone who did my hair and makeup."