Wedding AM Highlights

Going through the traditional customs of a Chinese wedding can be pretty overwhelming. There will be some things you do because your mother insists so, some for the fun of it and the rest mostly because everybody else does it.

For KT and I, our wedding became a reality only after our proposal to skip the whole thing altogether was met with horror by my parents. But what set out to be something just to fulfil my mom’s demands, turned out to be a whole lot of fun for all of us. Here’s what made it to our morning itinerary:

• Bride wakes up at 6am by Make-up artist and McDelivery breakfast
• Bridesmaids arrive and prep for gatecrash, some obstacles for Team Groom to overcome before receiving the bride
• Groom and groomsmen arrive from his place and my 8-year-old cousin opens the bridal car (according to tradition, this should be a young boy)
• Mom and Dad put the veil over the bride to prepare for the groom’s arrival
• After accomplishing the games, the groom unveils and fetches the bride to his home
• Groom and bride enjoy a dessert, symbolising a sweet future ahead
• Team Groom and Team Bride accompanies the couple to the groom’s home where they serve red date tea to the groom’s family (usually parents first, followed by grandparents and relatives by seniority)
• The entourage returns to the bride’s home where the tea ceremony commences for the bride’s family
• Lunch is served

I guess there are only so few events in a lifetime when everyone gets this excited and get busy for the big occasion. Like Mom (and his mom) getting a gazillian cocktail dresses, Dad actually visiting the tailor for a suit or my lil’ sissies practising the march-in song on the piano, fretting over their speeches – and also buying dresses, of course. Although in the end it isn’t the small stuff that matters, but the laughter, tears, impromptu moves and shared moments that make the evening 🙂

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