Your journey towards a customised Chinese wedding day begins with one of self-discovery. Your family heritage and customs unique to your dialect group will be taken into consideration in this journey.
After this, we will look into the finer details of your wedding arrangements. Share with us your wedding of your dreams and allow us to weave a beautiful proposal that combines Chinese traditions and your dream wedding into a grand affair.
We will walk you through the intricate customary practices special to your dialect group, both you and your partner’s, while incorporating a modern edge to your wedding.
As we believe your wedding is a personal affair, for you and your partner, it is our utmost priority to establish a trusting relationship with each couple, so as to ensure that all your needs are well taken care of.
Together, let us work with you to bring out the nostalgia of a traditional, blissful Chinese wedding with a modern twist.
According to the ancient Chinese Book of Rites 《礼记》 and the Book of Etiquette 《仪礼》, traditional Chinese wedding customaries are prescribed in a series of customs, now known as the “Three Letters and Six Rites” 三书六礼.
The “Three Letters” refer to Letter of Proposal 《聘书》, Letter of Etiquettes 《礼书》 and Letter of Invitation 《迎书》, while the "Six Rites" are, namely, Proposal《纳彩》, Birthdates《问名》, Betrothal Gifts《纳吉》, Wedding Gifts《纳徵》, Wedding Arrangement 《请期》and Wedding Ceremony《迎亲》.
At Xi Yuan, we follow traditions with a modern interpretation:
三书诚通，六礼从易
三书诚通 Letters of Sincerity
Ancient letters are forms of antiquated formalities. In these modern days, such red tape is represented by the sincerity from the groom towards the bride and her family, which has the highest importance.
六礼从易 Etiquette of Simplicity
Traditional wedding customs and etiquette can be complicated and difficult to follow. At Xi Yuan, under our expert eyes and professional guidance, we will look into all aspects of your big day to ensure a hassle-free modern-day wedding while keeping to traditions of a customary Chinese wedding.
Betrothal, better known as 纳采 or 过大礼, is an important custom for the groom to send betrothal gifts to the bride's family to show his sincerity. This custom is also signifies the union of both families. Standard items includes the Bride Price 聘金, Dragon-Phoenix Candles 龙凤烛, Pastries 礼饼 and many more. The selection of betrothal gifts will then vary, depending on dialects groups of the bride and groom. For marriages where the bride and the groom are from different dialect groups, Xi Yuan will provide appropriate consultations to make sure all family and dialect traditions are respectfully adhered to.
Some wedding customs of different dialect groups:
Hokkien 福建
One tradition unique to the Hokkien dialect group is to present a fresh pig trotter 猪手 as a betrothal gift to the bride’s mother. This is “Suoeh Sai Bah” 洗屎肉, literally means “Stool Washing Meat”, with the significant of the groom’s family showing their gratitude towards the bride’s family for the upbringing of their daughter-in-law.
Another symbolic article of the Hokkiens is the sugar cane. Thus, for a Hokkien wedding, sugar canes signify advancement 节节高升 to the groom’s future and sweetness in the marriage 甜甜蜜蜜.
Teochew 潮州
Teochews believe that “love goes beyond gold” 情比金坚. Therefore, gold jewelry is an important part of the betrothal gifts. Gold jewelry is presented as “Si Dian Jin” 四点金, which these four items include a necklace with pendent, a ring, a bangle and a pair of earrings.
In addition, “Si Dian Jin” symbolises an architecture design concept of four buildings四合院in one’s home, forming the picture of a complete house in the ancestral province in China. Therefore, the jewelry ensemble is the important symbolism of a blissful and secure home.
Cantonese 广东
As a coastal province in China, the Cantonese dialect group uses a number of produce from the sea for betrothal gifts. One example is the use of the coconuts. Old coconuts, also known as “Lou Yeh”老椰, is the homonym for “Grandfather”老爷.
This word implies a multi-generation family with grandparents and grandchildren 有爷有孙, symbolizing family blessed with good fortune. Sea produce such as abalone, dried scallop, fish maw, and sea cucumber are also included as a blessing of abundance in living 丰衣足食.
Dowry 嫁妆 is a compilation of gifts given to the bride by her parents. Items in the dowry include sewing kit, tea sets, a pair of lamps and other articles that the bride will need in her new home. Other than feminine items, as a returning etiquette, the bride will also present gifts of good wishes and auspicious symbolism to the groom and his families. These items in the dowry not only serve as a bestowal of blessings to the newlyweds, they also represent an expectation for the bride to carry out her duty as a wife and a daughter-in-law.
Sewing Kit
A representation of the ingenuity of the bride 心灵手巧.
Lamps
“Lighting lamps 点灯” sounds like “childbirth 添丁” in both Hokkien and Teochew dialect, therefore it's a embodiment of offspring.
Scissors
Having two segment binded together, it symbolises the union of a couple 比翼双飞.
Spittoon, Basin and Baby Bathtub
As these are essential items for a newborn, these represent the epitome of fertility 子孙满堂
Tea Set
A symbol of filial piety towards her parents-in-law 尊长尽孝.
Shoes
“Shoes 鞋” has the homonyms with “togetherness 偕”, which translates an everlasting unity 同偕到老.
Ruler
Blessings for fortunate life as the ruler was used to measure hectares of farmland in the past 良田万亩.
Long Pants, Wallet and Belt
Presented to the groom, these items are well-wishes of abundant wealth, as long pants 大富大贵, wallet 代代丰盈 and belt 腰缠万贯 are symbols of affluence.
Did you know that, according to traditional Chinese wedding customs, there are a lot of details that may appear insignificant on the surface but behind them are profound thoughts of wisdom? Here are some insights for you:
Bride and the two fans
On the wedding day, the bride will usually carry two fans on her hand. Before leaving the bride’s home in the bridal car, she will have to throw one fan out without looking back, and bring the other fan to the groom’s place. The bride’s mother will pick up the tossed-out fan and bring it back home.
The significance behind this: The two fans symbolise the two personalities of the bride, the good and the bad. When she gets married, she will leave her negative habits behind and move forward with her good virtues to be a good wife. Picking up the tossed-out fan is also a sign to the bride’s family that even though she is married, she is still a member of the bride’s family.
Dos and Don’ts in Fruits
Fruits can also be included as a betrothal and dowry gift. Each fruit has a special meaning. The following are their meanings:
Oranges 桔子, most common of all fruits, means Great Auspicious 大吉大利. Pomegranates 石榴, bounded with countless seeds, a symbol of Abundant Offspring 多子多福.
Apples 苹果, depicting Peace and Well-being 平平安安
Pineapples 黄梨 stands for Arrival of Prosperity 财富旺来.
Not all fruits have auspicious meanings. The following should never be chosen as betrothal and dowry gifts.
Mango 芒果 sounds like “Forget Me 忘我” in Cantonese
Pear 梨 in Mandarin means “Separations 离”.
The protective umbrella
As she steps out her home for her first full journey to the groom’s place as a bride, she will be shaded with an red umbrella whenever facing the open air.
The significance behind this: Red is always regarded as an auspicious colour. The primary effect of the umbrella is to protect the bride from “unclean” elements that may disturb her important day (a secondary effect to prevent clashes with the heaven). It is a traditional belief that all brides will have a “bride guardian” 新娘神 on her wedding day to bless the newlyweds. This “bride guardian” is known to be the “mightiest” on the wedding day. However, the Heaven is still regarded as the ultimate might. Therefore, in order for the two “parties” not to have clashes, the umbrella serves as a protection.
Numerical Art
The art of numbers plays an important role in Chinese culture, especially in wedding traditions. For a celebratory event, Chinese prefer even numbers as they symbolise unity and togetherness. Gifts are usually given in even numbers, as they believe to be auspicious.
Each number has its own meaning in the context of traditional Chinese weddings.
The number 2, representing a Pair, symbolises Unity 成双成对. The number 4, pairing of two Pairs, bears the ultimate meaning of Togetherness 双双对对. The number 6 represents Smooth sailing 六六大顺 while 8 stands for Prosperity 发财发达. The number 10 is for a perfect Ten 十全十美 and finally, a fulfilling cycle universe 12 months a year, 12 Chinese hour 时辰 a day is represented by the number 12 乾坤圆满.
Our services include customised professional consultation for each couple on essential wedding preparations such as:
- Chinese Customary Consultation 婚俗咨询
- Selection of Dates
- Advice on know-how for your big day
- Pre-Wedding Day Items Preparation
- Betrothal Items 聘礼
- Dowry Ensembles 嫁妆
- Bed Setting 安床
- Hair Combing 上头
- Wedding Day Preparation
Please feel free to contact us for non-obligatory enquiry.
We strive to provide quality service and advice on your important event to make it a smooth sailing one.
喜缘服务 必属佳品
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