Chinese Wedding

A Chinese teacher who I taught who is going to Brazil invited me to her wedding. Rather excited I was as I had never been to a Chinese wedding in Australia let alone a traditional wedding in China.

The wedding was held on the 24 June. I would be met at the front gate by a Chinese Teacher. I went to ask the leaders what is an appropriate gift and what should I wear. I found out that the gift is money in a red envelope and that the attire is whatever you want to wear. I didn't have to work the next day so I could be out as late as I felt necessary.

Being the girly girl I am, this would mean a new frock, shoes and handbag. Normally at home I would also do the hairdresser thing, but really a waste of time here with the humidity. It would just be frizz anyway. I had to also go in search of red envelopes to put money into. I found red envelopes but they all had different Chinese symbols on them. So I bought them all.

All dressed up ready for a night of food, music and dancing I went to the front gate to meet John, the Chinese teacher. He's dressed in his work clothes with reef sandals. I guess you can wear whatever you want but I would have thought you could put a bit more effort into it than that. I showed John the envelopes and he picked the ones that were related to a wedding. All sorted off we went to the restaurant for the Wedding Banquet.

Outside the restaurant we are met by Kelly and her husband. Kelly was not dressed in her wedding attire. Formalities are done and we are told to go to the 3rd floor. We walk into the room and there are heaps of tables and chairs, I'm thinking 200 - 300 people. This is going to be huge! Then we are directed to a room.

In this room there are 10 place settings. Now I'm starting to get confused. John tells me to sit. I tell him that that is not custom and I have to wait to be told where to sit. He said that we could sit for now and when the others arrived we will stand.

Other guests arrived, some in jeans and T-shirts. Nobody was as dressed as I was. Oh well better to be overdressed than under dressed, so they say.

We are seated. Still no bride or groom. Food starts to arrive. We are told to start eating. Almost towards the end of the meal the bride and groom arrive with a couple of men. The groom is holding a plate with 4 port glasses. The groom pours me a drink and tells me that it is bottoms up, IE Skull. I do as I'm told, I don't want to upset the natives. He then refills my glass and tells me that I need to take a sip. This happens to every guest at the table. The bride and groom leaves. And so do we!

I've tried to ask the natives what really happens. I have been told that the grooms family go with the groom to pick up the bride and they eat dumplings and noodles. The grooms family pay a dowry to the bride's family. The groom's family then carry the bride back to the grooms village where a civil ceremony is held. The modern tradition is that the bride leaves her family home in red and changes to white when she arrives at the Grooms village.

Here I was all set for a big night and I left my apartment at 6 pm and was home by 9 pm!

They then have a wedding banquet with the family and friends. The reception as we would call it is segregated, ie everyone is in different rooms.

So off I went to this wedding expecting food, music and dancing and all I got was food.