美国殡仪馆半婚礼日趋流行

Paulita and Tony Flores took their wedding vows¹ in December in an elegant rotunda² with marble floors amid glimmering³ chandeliers and a bubbling fountain.

去年12月，宝莉塔和托尼·弗洛雷斯在一家殡仪馆举办了婚礼。雅致的圆形大厅里铺着大理石地面，枝形吊灯上泛着微光，喷泉汩汩作响。

It didn't bother them that a room down the hall showcased caskets（棺材，骨灰盒） and urns⁴. Or that the building was surrounded by a large cemetery⁵ with 100,000 gravestones on 60 acres. Or that on other days, the facility hosts something a lot more somber⁶（忧郁的，昏暗的） - funerals.

The Flores' wedding at the Community Life Center at Washington Park East Cemetery here illustrates⁷ a growing trend.

Across the USA, funeral homes are building and marketing⁸ such centers as not just a place to mourn the dead but as sites for events celebrating the living, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, holiday parties and proms（班级舞会） .

The lure⁹? It is often less expensive; there is greater availability; and the settings — inside and outside — can be nothing short of（简直就是） wedding-picture perfect.

Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Centers opened the $10 million Community Life Center in 2001, but it had a slow start. As recently as 2009, it hosted just 10 weddings. Then Carla Fletcher took over as special events coordinator¹⁰ in March. The center now holds a dozen events each month and has nearly every Friday, Saturday and Sunday booked this year, including 99 weddings, as well as bookings that stretch into 2012, she says.

"The place wasn't being utilized¹¹ because people had tunnel vision（视野狭隘） ," says Fletcher, who also often plays the part of wedding planner for the couples. "They thought since it was a funeral home, they (couldn't) sell it. But I don't see a funeral home; I see an events center."

The idea of getting married in a funeral home wasn't much of a hurdle¹² to overcome, says Paulita Flores, 21.

"At first, when I pulled up and saw it was a funeral home, it did concern me," she admitted. "But when we walked in and saw everything, it was overwhelming. I fell in love and thought it was the perfect place. It was breathtaking, so it (the funeral home aspect) didn't cross my mind again."

In a 2010 association survey, almost 10% of the 627 funeral home owners who responded said they owned or offered a community or family center in addition to traditional funeral facilities.