For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls

The Bride on the big day

I attended a Chinese wedding over the October 1st holiday, and I must say, I found it interesting, surprising, and enjoyable.  Thoughts about the Chinese wedding traditions I might see during the wedding ceremony dominated my thoughts the day before the event.  I hoped for crazy and unique traditions that might perk up the tired formula of the old "here comes the bride" style wedding that I am used to back in Indiana.  The pre-wedding festivities certainly delivered the goods.  I tagged along with my girlfriend to the bride's hotel room at the terribly early time of 7 in the balmy Beijing morning.

Tang Qi having a bit of fun

We arrived to discover the bride sitting on her bed dressed in a western-style wedding dress.  In one hand rested her cell phone, in the other sat an apple.  After a volley of photos and congratulations, the door of the hotel room slammed shut and things became quieter.....though still loud by most standards.  The groom and his groomsmen showed up at the hotel room to claim the bride.  A symbolic bargaining session transpired with the groomsmen slipping "hongbaos", or traditional monetary gifts in red envelopes, under the door.  Eventually the goodnatured negotiations broke-down, and the groom and his groomsmen politely forced their way into the hotel room, handing out hongbaos to the bride's entourage with complementary smiles thrown in for good measure.

Getting ready for the reception

The groom carried the bride to the elevator and out to a waiting car, because the bride's feet aren't supposed to touch the ground before the wedding ceremony.  Both entourages filed to the ground floor where a fleet of black Audi's waited.  Note: A black Audi is the official car of party cadres and symbolizes power and status in China, so it was little surprise what kind of cars were waiting for us.

The Bride and Groom meeting in the aisle

Friends and family greeted our arrival at the groom's apartment at 8:30 in the morning.  Another wave of pictures followed after we made landfall at the groom's apartment, and the atmosphere was smoky as a honky-tonk, but very amicable and excited.  Again the bride sat cross-legged on a bed, clutching an apple.  Next we moved the party to the venue at the Hepingli Hotel.  Here is where the traditional Chinese wedding stopped being so traditional, and became more "western", or at least what passes for "western" in mainland China.  If you can't tell by my condescending tone, the way the term "western" is applied to everything in mainland China as a substitute for "new", "foreign", and "popular" has started to wear on my nerves.  The ceremony resembled an abbreviated version of an American wedding reception.  Speeches were made, food was eaten, toasts were made, and an MC (I don't know who the guy was) presided over the event.  The only traditional part was the food, and it was worth the price of admission.  I was a little worried by the cold, meat appetizers.  They are very common in China.  Despite a year here, I haven't adapted to them.  I just find it difficult to eat cold meat, but my fear were silenced by the great shichime and squirrel fish.  The menu boasted some great gastronomic surprises.  I didn't know the country of Georgia produced wine, but do yourself a favor and go pick up a bottle.

By western standards, Chinese weddings are short affairs, and this was no exception.  The entire thing, ceremony and reception, lasted about an hour and a half.  On a personal note, I had a great time, and it was interesting to see the melding of Chinese wedding traditions and western television weddings.  The bride and groom looked happy, and there isn't much else you can ask for.