Chinese Wedding

No Dancing, Cigarettes Yes

My friend Joy got married last week. It was my first Chinese wedding and aside from the smell of flowers and optimism in the air, it was very unlike the American weddings I've been to....


There was no church or temple for the ceremony. The bride and groom were at the entrance of the restaurant to greet everyone, in their wedding attire. The wedding started at 6:30 and, at that time, the MC welcomed the bride and groom into the reception. After entering, the two exchanged vows in front of everyone. This was followed by speeches from their fathers, the groom and two people I took to be the maid of honor and best man. My Chinese is ok, but these people were talking real fast, I was catching every fifth word or so....happy....luck....life....children....

Dinner was a buffet, and it was not exclusively ours. It was part of a larger restaurant. And this was by far the largest buffet I've seen - over 50 dishes, most of which I could identify (or at least categorize as meat or vegetable).

There was light music but no dancing and no dance floor. Instead, every table was given a box of chocolates and two packs of cigarettes. SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM.

The bride and groom, after eating, make their rounds just as they do at American weddings. And by that, I mean they literally make the rounds. They have to do have a drink (or shot) with each table. And if they are getting too drunk too fast, it is the duty of the maid of honor and best man to drink the shots for them if they cannot.

Now, I thought Joy and her husband were pretty hammered by the time they go to me and Greta's table, but I asked Joy later and she said they were ok.

About 9:30, people started shuffling out. All in all, it was a nice time - not as lively and bustling as an American wedding, but just as festive and focused on what was most important - two people publicly declaring they're love for each other.