Couple in wedding attire on a mountain with rocky landscape and misty sky.

GLOSSARY ABOUT TRADITIONAL CHINESE WEDDING

Photographers for your intimate destination wedding or elopement

For the Nostalgic, Storyteller, CULTURE and Cinema Lovers

LEXICAL OF TERMINOLOGY ABOUT WEDDING

Traditional CHINESE Wedding
PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEOGRAPHER

General Wedding Terms

  1. Chinese wedding

  2. Traditional marriage

  3. Red and gold theme

  4. Cultural heritage

  5. Family traditions

  6. Double Happiness

  7. Auspicious ceremony

  8. Symbolic customs

  9. Harmony in union

  10. Prosperity rituals

  11. Ancient customs

  12. Chinese matrimonial rites

  13. Sacred union

  14. Marriage traditions

  15. Ancestral blessings

  16. Wedding harmony

  17. Chinese culture

  18. Wedding legacy

  19. Spiritual bond

  20. Eternal love

Pre-Wedding Traditions

  1. Betrothal gifts

  2. Dowry preparation

  3. Matchmaking traditions

  4. Astrological alignment

  5. Red envelope (hongbao)

  6. Tea ceremony preparation

  7. Proposal gifts

  8. Bride price (cai li)

  9. Wedding agreement

  10. Birth date exchange

  11. Pre-wedding consultation

  12. Family approval

  13. Gold jewelry gifting

  14. Bridal trousseau

  15. Zodiac compatibility

  16. Negotiations of marriage

  17. Betrothal banquet

  18. Gift presentation

  19. Ritual fortune-telling

  20. Auspicious day selection

Wedding Day Rituals

  1. Wedding procession

  2. Bride’s home departure

  3. Groom’s arrival

  4. Firecrackers

  5. Door games (chuangmen)

  6. Bowing to Heaven and Earth

  7. Ancestor veneration

  8. Exchange of vows

  9. Wedding banquet

  10. Tea ceremony

  11. Traditional bowing

  12. Dragon and phoenix display

  13. Offering to ancestors

  14. Wedding sedan chair

  15. Bride’s veil unveiling

  16. Crossing the fire pan

  17. Red umbrella tradition

  18. Bed setting ritual

  19. Bridal chamber celebration

  20. Wedding banquet speeches

Post-Wedding Traditions

  1. Three-day homecoming

  2. Honoring ancestors

  3. Family banquet

  4. Gift distribution

  5. Visiting elders

  6. Bride’s family visit

  7. Blessing rituals

  8. Wedding token exchange

  9. Bride’s dowry display

  10. Return gifts (hui li)

  11. Family reunions

  12. Continuation of blessings

  13. Couple’s new roles

  14. Household setup

  15. Gift return ceremony

  16. Ancestral house visit

  17. Extended family feast

  18. Thanks to elders

  19. New couple’s responsibilities

  20. Ritual appreciation

Symbolism and Beliefs

  1. Dragon and phoenix

  2. Red thread of fate

  3. Yin and Yang

  4. Gold and jade harmony

  5. Lotus flower

  6. Prosperity and wealth

  7. Longevity symbols

  8. Red as luck

  9. Happiness symbol

  10. Five blessings

  11. Chinese zodiac

  12. Sacred fire

  13. Auspicious colors

  14. Wealth and fertility

  15. Happiness scrolls

  16. Celestial blessings

  17. Earthly union

  18. Phoenix coronet

  19. Dragon motifs

  20. Harmony with nature

Wedding Attire

  1. Qipao (cheongsam)

  2. Xiuhefu dress

  3. Traditional hanfu

  4. Phoenix coronet

  5. Red bridal gown

  6. Gold embroidery

  7. Groom’s mandarin jacket

  8. Dragon robe

  9. Bride’s headpiece

  10. Wedding slippers

  11. Silk sash

  12. Ornate patterns

  13. Embroidered veil

  14. Gold phoenix motifs

  15. Groom’s hat

  16. Red silk scarf

  17. Hair combing ceremony outfit

  18. Bridal jewelry

  19. Jade accessories

  20. Gold bangles

Wedding Cuisine

  1. Wedding banquet

  2. Longevity noodles

  3. Peking duck

  4. Roast pork

  5. Steamed fish

  6. Shark fin soup

  7. Lotus seed desserts

  8. Sticky rice balls

  9. Sweet red bean soup

  10. Eight treasures rice

  11. Dim sum platters

  12. Red date tea

  13. Dragon and phoenix pastries

  14. Symbolic fruit

  15. Chinese wine

  16. Auspicious dumplings

  17. Sweet lotus paste

  18. Almond jelly

  19. Double happiness cake

  20. Gold coin desserts

Decorations and Props

  1. Red lanterns

  2. Double Happiness sign

  3. Dragon motifs

  4. Phoenix motifs

  5. Red silk drapes

  6. Wedding fans

  7. Paper cuttings

  8. Auspicious banners

  9. Ancestral altar

  10. Gold ingots

  11. Ritual candles

  12. Firecracker strings

  13. Bamboo decorations

  14. Cherry blossom motifs

  15. Wedding parasol

  16. Feng Shui elements

  17. Calligraphy scrolls

  18. Jade figurines

  19. Longevity symbols

  20. Auspicious knots

Ritual Items

  1. Tea set

  2. Wedding altar

  3. Incense sticks

  4. Sacred talismans

  5. Red ribbons

  6. Ancestral tablets

  7. Gold ingots

  8. Wedding baskets

  9. Ritual combs

  10. Sacred fans

  11. Jade ornaments

  12. Wedding scrolls

  13. Rice bowls

  14. Blessing coins

  15. Wedding pillows

  16. Sacred oil lamps

  17. Wedding mirror

  18. Ritual wine cups

  19. Paper offerings

  20. Bamboo leaves

Cultural Values

  1. Filial piety

  2. Family respect

  3. Harmony in union

  4. Ancestor reverence

  5. Social harmony

  6. Community celebration

  7. Collective happiness

  8. Love and respect

  9. Family blessings

  10. Ritual propriety

  11. Confucian influence

  12. Taoist values

  13. Virtuous marriage

  14. Ethical teachings

  15. Shared prosperity

  16. Generational blessings

  17. Moral integrity

  18. Spiritual harmony

  19. Respect for tradition

  20. Unity of families

Feng Shui Principles

  1. Qi energy flow

  2. Balance and harmony

  3. Positive energy

  4. Auspicious direction

  5. Feng Shui elements

  6. Earth element focus

  7. Yin and Yang balance

  8. Symbolic placements

  9. Red and gold accents

  10. Protective symbols