Wedding in China

For people who have never been to a wedding in china i considered it would be nice to post about a few i have been to in the past few years

i posted this thread in Rides as i go to the wedding on my bike so i think it is correct to post here sorry if other thinks not

Now wedding in China comes in 2 parts .

!. you sort out all the paper work and foums and go to a goverment office and do your stuff very quick in and out no big thing no pictures no cars just a load of paper work

2. The big meal .. in the west will all know you go to the church do your stuff and have a big slap up meal the same day ?? loads of pictures loads of cars loads drinks
every one is happy well most :naughty:

Now in China things are i bit strange the first part is all low keyed with the big meal is the "big" event and can take place mouths or years after part 1

The people who live in China kowns to well events like this is all about face so the big event and the more people who comes to the meal the more face you have

And we are talking about 500 /1000 people at the meal is not uncommon

Now the day on part 2 starts of with the groom being picked up in the cars most wedding i have been to have about 6 cars most of the time the cars are all the same type and model.. and must be all the same colour red or black seams to be the normal around here

Before i start posting some pictures i need to explain why i am at the wedding on a bike .

I told you in china at events like this it is all about face look how much money i have so to speak now we at the local moto club we get asked i lot to escort the cars around the town and to stop all the traffic so the wedding cars can drive freely about not sure if it is legal but all the times i have done this and with police looking on know one has stopped us

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To start a coupler of pictures of the bikes meet up before the wedding



When all the bikes are ready we meet the cars and as i said we pick up the groom from his house , then with him in toe with the other cars and i must point out here apart from the drivers of the cars it looks to me like no one is in the cars ?? i did say wedding are strange in China
All the cars and bike then turn up at the brides house at this time now people are waiting with loads fireworks set of and by god do the chinese like fireworks ?? and remember what i said about " face" so at this point the more fireworks are let of the more face you have :clap:

What happy next could be just a local tradition . but the groom has to nock on the front door and from what i can understand when i have asked about this

The bride and her family tell him to go away and he cant come in , well i for one at this point would pissed of down the pub with my mates :eekers:

No he keep on nocking at the door untill he is let in

next picures now ..

This is what he finds

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Carrying the bride come next so it allways best to make sure your new bride is slim

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With bride and groom together for the first all the cars and bikes now leave to go to a holtel or wedding hall for the big meal , but before we go and i need to know tell you about the video crew it is very common in China to have a big video and photo albums done and these are put together very well

Now start a drive with a 4x4 car up front with the video crew some in the back with the tail gate open some out the sun roof taking videos of all the cars in a neat line with the bikes on each side of the cars . this goes on for about 15 km with at times the cars and bikes all moving about changing places sorry no pictures of this was riding very hard to do both safely

ok you got the picture now to the meal

we all turn up at the hotel/wedding hall to more fireworks and these compressed air cannon that the people put neat petrol in and gives the loudest bang i have ever heard in my life

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Nice!!! my best wishes for the couple, i recently saw an escort of a black car followed by 6 or 7 whites,i think it was in the midle of the week,we do it(Greece) at the weekend so we can have time to rest after....too much food,drink and dance.They also tolld me that the Chinese guests give money for a gift and usually receive a gift to remember from the couple.Nice info for someone like me that is allmost a month in the country.
PS happy to see at 1st photo a fazer 600 (i had one before tdm) and a CB big one that i always wanted to buy but i never did(i dont know why...)

Much of what happens next is like back home the bride and groom dads get up and give a speak thanking people and all that stuff have loads of food and drink not for us .. sorry apart of the thank you to all the bike rides we get to go along to the meal :clap:

But what i find strange is that the people all sit and enjoy all the music and food and this goes on for about 2 hours . then as quick as it all started it stops ??

When i mean stop it like people cant wait to get out i have never seen so many people leave a room so quick But all in all a great day out we all get to have a ride on our bikes get to stop all the cars have some food how bad is life

now the next pictures are maybe form some other wedding but will just post so you can get the fill of things


Hope you have like the thread and plaese if you dont like it just move on.No
silly comments or quotes as i am on milkshake now no coffee

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Last few pictures with sorry no bikes

Have a good day



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sorry just a few more pictures with some nice bikes to keep all you bikers happy


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by b-angel

Nice!!! my best wishes for the couple, i recently saw an escort of a black car followed by 6 or 7 whites,i think it was in the midle of the week,we do it(Greece) at the weekend so we can have time to rest after....too much food,drink and dance.They also tolld me that the Chinese guests give money for a gift and usually receive a gift to remember from the couple.Nice info for someone like me that is allmost a month in the country.
PS happy to see at 1st photo a fazer 600 (i had one before tdm) and a CB big one that i always wanted to buy but i never did(i dont know why...)

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Thank you for your post my angle yes Greece people know how to hold a wedding but here in China it strange no "dancing" loads of food drink and yes you see loads of littel red envelop changing hands not sure how much you have to put in them never had to do it for the gust you find on the tabel a little gift normaly a small box of sweets but at one wedding the other day was given a little red envelop from the groom with 1$ in still have it have been to about 20 now

and good luck and welcome on the forum

Prince666 pretty interesting... nice photos too. However there is much you missed out on if you're truly trying to give those readers who have never been to China or otherwise haven't had an opportunity to attend a Chinese wedding an insight. Much of the cultural significance/meaning you have not covered nor does much of what you've written seem to reflect much of the cultural understanding or significance that's important IMO.

For instance the Groom doesn't just keep knocking on the door of his prospective Brides home, as he and his minders will be placing many Hongbaos (red envelopes filled with money), under the door, through windows or any other gaps of the Brides home at this time in an effort to win affection and favour of the Brides family (especially the Brides father) and consequently approval and access to the Bride.
You perhaps forgot to mention of dowry's paid by the Groom &/or his family to that of the Brides (this is in contrast to some other cultures where it is the Brides side that pays a dowry to the Grooms side).

Hongbaos are paid at the entrance of the wedding reception, and this is very important, - who gives it (relationships), how much is given, and this has to be remembered by the person receiving the Hongbaos, since at some point in the future this person might have to give Hongbaos to those who attend in some other circumstances. Most Hongbaos are given by the relatives attending to that side of the family. So, relatives on the Grooms side of the family give the Hoingbaos to the Grooms father, whereas relatives of the Brides side give their Hongbaos to the Brides father. Some of those attending will also give Hongbaos to the Groom no matter which side of the family, but not before giving a Hongbao to the father of either the Bride or Groom depending on the relationship.

You didn't seem to clarify that wedding photos and the album are taken days, weeks or months (sometimes even years) before the actual wedding day and are presented to those that attend at the wedding reception. Although some photos and the video are as you mention taken on the day of the wedding.

The use of fireworks has little to do with face as you perceive it. It is actually to scare away any bad spirits or demons. Some (a few) are ignited when the groom arrives at the brides home, and then when the groom goes to collect his bride, the fireworks are ignited as the groom carries the bride out of the last doorway from the dwelling or what have you and not before. Fireworks are sometimes ignited a long the route that the wedding procession takes, and definitely at the entrance to where the wedding reception is being held. Again in an attempt to fend off bad spirits so that the marriage has every chance to be happy and successful. There is much more, e.g. what takes place in the newly weds room by the attending relatives (and I'm not referring to the intimacy between the newly married couple) , but I don't want to steal all your thunder.

Lastly your use of English grammar is way off... IMO, and makes reading much of what you write, er, um, ....challenging.

Thank you very muck Bikerdoc for having the time to read and to add more detail insight into a chinese wedding i found your infore very interesting and a great addition and yes my grammar is "challenging" like most thing in life but thank you for not being condescending about it

Ho by the way tell other people on here i do love fishing was out yesterday but some fish are not biting well at least this one is not .

That bring me on to a great topic " A day at the beach in China" with what i can see about 98% of chinese people cant swim and the use of inflatable rings and with the amount of people drying from drowing and with 9 people from the beach i use in the last 3 years preished from drowing
One being my wife farther . so i checked the details with the local hospital could be a good Off Topic Discussions




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