'I Love You' Day: Chinese couples rush to tie the knot

A couple poses for photos at Chaoyang district civil affairs bureau in Beijing on May 20, 2014. May 20 has an auspicious meaning since it has a similar pronunciation to "I love you" in Chinese. The day sees marriage registration boom across China every year. [Photo: Chinanews.com / Jin Shuo]

(ECNS) -- A tidal wave of romance and marriage registrations swept China on Tuesday, as couples couldn't resist the phonetics of love. Spoken in Chinese, May 20 is (wǔ èr líng), which sounds like, "I love you".

As a celebration initiated by Chinese netizens, "I Love You Day" first gained popularity among college students who use the day to show their feelings of love and affection. Now the "cyber Valentine's Day" is emerging as a day of romance for more Chinese couples.

The day not only added extra significance to tying the knot but caused a rush at marriage registration offices.

According to Shanghai's Civil Affair Bureau, as of Monday afternoon, 1,185 couples had made online appointments to register on May 20.

Officers at the marriage registration agency told xinmin.cn that some couples who didn't make online appointments chose to wait at the agency early in the morning.

Several couples began to queue at 4:00 am for the registration, according to the officer.

Marriage registration offices in Sichuan province's Chengdu also witnessed the same trend on Tuesday.

Around 7:00 am on Tuesday, newssc.org saw over 100 people queued outside the marriage registration office in the city's Jijiang district, waiting for the agency to open.

Du, a 25-year-old bride-to-be, said she and her boyfriend arrived at the spot at 5:00 am.

The May wedding season also drives the demand for custom wedding services for young couples.

Yang Guangming, a post-90s man in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, hired a local wedding planner and arranged for a special wedding ceremony on Tuesday in a bar that was furnished as an elementary school classroom, featuring desks, chairs and a blackboard.