The wedding took place on a Friday, the second was on a Monday, so there is no set or regular day on which weddings are held. The date of the wedding is more important than the day. Chinese couples usually go to some shaman/witch doctor/fortune teller who tells them what day will be lucky/good for them to get married on.
The school rented a bus so take all of the teachers to the wedding. So at 8 am we piled in and started on our way.
Our first stop was at the bride's parents house. They served a ton of food and liquor. People just kept walking in and sitting down to eat.
We left the house following the bride and groom. The first car in the line set off firecrackers out of the trunk which was followed by the bride and groom's car.
We arrived at a restaurant in the home town of the groom. Prior to bride and groom's entrance they set off 2 minutes worth of firecrackers. The bride and groom entered, walking down the center of the tables and were sprayed with silly string and covered with confetti.
I don't think the bride was very happy to be covered in shit as she walked to the front of the room but it's what they do. The officiator of the ceremony was a friend of the family. There is no religious part of the ceremony. The symbol on the wall behind them is of double happiness.
They do repeat some kind of vows, present rings, and the officiator asks them questions.
The give each other wine to drink.
This was the weirdest part. When you would normal just kiss the bride they always seem to hesitate. I don't know if it's some kind of power struggle thing or what. So to bait them into kissing they dangle something, maybe candy, on a string in between them until they kiss.
The parents of the groom come up and the bride offers them wine to drink so that them will welcome her into their family. The parents sometimes are dressed up to look very funny. This day they were only made to put thick blush on their cheeks and forehead. After giving them wine the parents present the bride with envelopes with money in them.
The bride is accepted into the groom's family.
After the ceremony is over they walk out, change their clothes, and everyone starts eating/drinking. I, of course, was asked to give a toast at the wedding. So I stood up in front of a room filled with people and gave a toast, in English, which was translated to the guest. Hilarious and very easy but very it is very impressive to have a foreigner at your wedding. After we ate and drank ourselves silly we piled back on the bus and returned to the school.
They do repeat some kind of vows, present rings, and the officiator asks them questions.
The give each other wine to drink.
This was the weirdest part. When you would normal just kiss the bride they always seem to hesitate. I don't know if it's some kind of power struggle thing or what. So to bait them into kissing they dangle something, maybe candy, on a string in between them until they kiss.
The parents of the groom come up and the bride offers them wine to drink so that them will welcome her into their family. The parents sometimes are dressed up to look very funny. This day they were only made to put thick blush on their cheeks and forehead. After giving them wine the parents present the bride with envelopes with money in them.
The bride is accepted into the groom's family.
After the ceremony is over they walk out, change their clothes, and everyone starts eating/drinking. I, of course, was asked to give a toast at the wedding. So I stood up in front of a room filled with people and gave a toast, in English, which was translated to the guest. Hilarious and very easy but very it is very impressive to have a foreigner at your wedding. After we ate and drank ourselves silly we piled back on the bus and returned to the school. A very enlightening experience.
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