Red Brings Good Luck and Fortune
In a traditional Chinese wedding the bride and groom don’t actually meet until the wedding day. All the organizing is left to the parents, which for Western couples sounds ideal. On the wedding day the bride starts with a ceremonial bath, which is infused with grapefruit to cleanse her of evil spirits. The wedding dress is red, which represents the Chinese color of luck and good fortune. The groom also has his own ritual to perform called “the capping”; kneeling before his ancestral alter his father places a red cap on his head indicating his transition to manhood. Instead of a spoken deceleration, vows are exchanged by the couple sipping wine from cups connected with a red string. A lavish reception follows the ceremony, during which guests are served eight courses (eight being a lucky number for the Chinese).
