AT the very least it should mean fewer forgotten anniversaries. For while today's date 8/8/8 – marks the extravagant opening celebrations of the Olympics in Beijing, it's also the most popular date of the year in Edinburgh for a rather more personal ceremony – a wedding.
The new civil ceremony HQ at the Lothian Chambers on George IV Bridge has been fully booked for months and 18 marriage ceremonies are taking place throughout the city today, compared with the weekly average of just 15.
"August 8 has proved to be a
very popular date for marriages as was July 7 last year," explains a spokeswoman for the Registrars Office. "It's been booked out months in advance with couples coming from as far away as America to get married here. Some people think that getting married on 8/8/8 is lucky and of course it proves to be an easy date to remember for future anniversaries.
"There are ten ceremonies booked for the Lothian Chamber on the 8th, four at the Leith Registry Office and then a further four civil marriages taking place in approved venues."
Here, three Edinburgh couples tell us why they're saying I do today.
RUZENKA IRONS AND LOUIS MANFor 30-year-olds Ruzenka and Louis, opting to tie the knot on 8/8/8 was all about luck and paying homage to Louis' Chinese roots.
"It was the perfect date," explains Louis, originally from Hong Kong. "The whole lucky eight number is important to many Chinese people, as it's the luckiest number in Chinese numerology."
Louis believes he subconsciously chooses eights. "It's kind of been forced down my throat for the past 30 years, so yes I would say I do believe in it – kind of," he adds, laughing.
"I suppose I was always keen to have an eight in there somewhere, although it wouldn't have been the end of the world if we didn't. So long as we didn't have the unlucky number – four – we were fine."
Fiancee Ruzenka is more than happy to go along with it. She says: "It's not superstition but more about luck."
The couple met in 2003 after Louis walked into a Leith internet cafe Ruzenka was working in, looking for work. He was hired and worked alongside her for just two days before finding a job elsewhere. "We kept in touch and it went from there," he smiles. "It was only by luck I met Ruzenka."
After a romantic proposal in Paris last year, the couple moved in together and their ceremony will be held at the Lothian Chambers. Ruzenka adds: "We planned to have a small wedding but ended up with 90 people so we're having the reception at the Balmoral. We have lots of people from Hong Kong and the Czech Republic where I am from. So it is going to be an international wedding.
"I've got a wedding dress but it's not white. Red is also lucky in Chinese so there is red in it – that's all I'm saying."
The wedding itself is set to cost £18,000. "We were trying to keep it down as much as possible – I got my dress in the sale, we did our own invitation, our own website," she says. "We had budgeted £20,000 but we're hoping it stays at £18,000 – there's another eight in there too!
"We actually went on our honeymoon before the wedding – we went back to Paris for a weekend in April. Louis has just opened his own shop and it's getting busy, so it's not a good time now."
So 8/8/8 falling on a Friday is an even bigger blessing for the couple as Saturday is their busiest day – both will be back at work tomorrow.
CLAIRE DOWNIE AND MICHAEL DE SOLDENHOFFFor 31-year-old Claire from Slateford, while the date was certainly catchy, she was just happy to have finally got her man.
"Michael was my driving instructor, and I started taking lessons in 2004," recalls the assistant support manager. "I was taking lessons for about six months before I passed. By that time I really liked him and was actually disappointed I had passed as I thought I wouldn't see him again."
But Claire and 35-year-old Michael kept in touch – Michael helping her work on her first car, and selling her his father's car. "We became good friends," adds Claire. "For two years I really liked him and never told him how I felt, until I finally plucked up the courage in February last year."
Michael adds: "I'm quite bashful and just thought Claire was being really friendly. I kept on wondering why she would want to spend time with me. So I asked her, and she went all quiet. Later that night I got a text message from her saying how she felt."
Claire gave birth to the couple's first child, Mischa, in April this year, and Michael proposed on his birthday, one year to the day after they got together.
She says: "When we got engaged last year, we saw the date and thought it was a really nice date to get married on. It's hard to forget, anyway. Plus, Michael's mobile number ends in 888 and he works from 8am until 8pm so there was a little bit of superstition there."
"I liked the 8/8/8 date as it's easy to remember. I need things simple as my memory is awful," laughs Michael.
They are tying the knot at the Lothian Chambers with the reception at Edinburgh Zoo's Mansion House.
FIONA CHEUNG AND CHRIS McMILLANWhen 25-year-old Fiona saw the date in the diary, she refused to get married to fiance Chris, 26, on any other day.
"I just thought, oh my God," laughs Fiona, a property assistant from Tollcross. "As I'm half Chinese and eight is a lucky number, that was it – 8/8/8 was perfect. It just had to be that date and I decided then and there. I could not get married on any other day.
"I'm quite superstitious as my family were brought up with the Chinese culture. So I'm not getting a four-tiered wedding cake, put it that way.
"It's the way I live my life – but it's kind of difficult having a fiance who's not so much into it."
Primary school teacher Chris laughs, and adds: "Her older brother was a sharing a flat which was a number four and they didn't want him to take it. They drew a circle around the number on the door, to keep the bad luck in.
"You can't put shoes on the table, especially new shoes. I can't leave the toilet seat up, as all your wealth and prosperity will apparently disappear down the toilet. It's a double whammy for us blokes."
Fiona says: "He's always moving things and I'm at the back of him moving them back. I always think ancestors are looking over us and we should always please them. I live my life as if they're watching.
"He realises that it is very important to me, and he's very respectful of that. But he doesn't believe in it. "
But Chris was more than happy to give his fiancee her dream date. "It's important to Fiona."
The childhood sweethearts met when they were at Bruntsfield Primary School, but it wasn't until sixth year at James Gillespie's that they got together, aged 17.
"It's been almost nine years," smiles Chris. "I proposed on Valentine's Day last year. I took her to Lazio's for dinner and then when we got back home I proposed then."
The marriage is at Lothian Chambers and their reception is taking place at the Hilton Grovesnor, costing them just £5000 thanks to help and donations from friends and family. The newlyweds will then jet off to Paris.
"The colour-scheme is red and gold," explains Fiona, who is having 120 guests. "Gold is for prosperity and red is for luck. I didn't want a Chinese theme as I didn't want it to be too tacky, but I wanted to nod to it. Unfortunately we couldn't get tables of eight, and the reception will start at 7pm – though I now wish it was 8pm!"
• For more details about Lothian Chambers and the Registration Service, call 0131-529 2600 or visit: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/registrars
CULTURE STEEPED IN SUPERSTITIONFOR the Chinese, superstitions are an essential part of culture. For example, for a long and happy life, on the first day of the Chinese New Year opt for a chicken with head and feet intact as this symbolises prosperity. And make sure any noodles are left uncut, as a sign of long life.
But before you do this, the house has to be cleaned ahead of New Year's Day as any sweeping or dusting then will sweep away good fortune.
Never praise a newborn baby because it will invite evil spirits and ghosts. Wedding clothes should be red and white, while black or blue will bring bad luck. And never marry someone who is older or younger than you by three or six years.
Good Feng Shui is also important. The number of steps in a staircase should be even, and it's bad luck to have two doors face each other. Also avoid north-facing homes.
