Chinese Theme Wedding: Tradition, Meaning and Symbolism

To celebrate a Chinese themed wedding, is to celebrate tradition, meaning and symbolism. All the decoration that you choose has to symbolize happiness, prosperity, harmony, and unity. For a proper Chinese themed wedding, it has to be infused with bright red with gold and black weaved through it.

Start with the invitation. Send the guest a red envelope with the double happiness or Shuang xi calligraphy as well as the dragon-phoenix design decorating it. At all cost avoid red ink on white paper; it is considered a death threat. Ask the guest to wear red and encourage them to be part of the Chinese wedding theme.

The bride and groom should also be dressed in traditional Chinese attire. The brides should wear a cheongsam, the classic dress for Chinese women. It is both stylish and elegant with a high-necked, closed collar, asymmetrical fastening and side slits. It denotes a woman’s modesty, softness and most importantly beauty.

The groom should also be wearing a hip or knee length, front-closing tunic, made out of the same fabric as the bride’s. Instead of a traditional veil, the bride could sport a red silk veil or a ‘curtain’ of tassels or beads. This symbolizes the phoenix, the female half, an essential part of the dragon-phoenix theme of a Chinese wedding.

In addition to other symbols of the dragon and phoenix, Chinese theme wedding wall decorations should include red banners lined with gold and black. It is an ancient Chinese custom to decorate both the bride and grooms family homes in red from top to bottom. Carry this theme to the place where you will hold the reception.

Chinese calligraphy should also be hung on the walls on bright colorful banners, printed with the phrases like 100 years of happy togetherness, or other rhythmic poem praising the couple and the hope for a perfect marriage. All the doors in the reception hall should be adorned with the same bright banners.

Light up the Chinese theme wedding with raised Chinese red lanterns that symbolize happiness and good luck. There should be paper cut signs of the double happiness symbol as well as the dragon and phoenix sign hung throughout the reception hall.

Decorative fireworks are available to hang throughout the reception room as a symbol of the fireworks that was used to scare away evil, trouble causing spirits. You can have someone bang together crashing cymbals to point out the significance of the fireworks. One other Chinese theme wedding decoration is to hang an opened, red umbrella over the bride to bring fertility.

The guests should be seated at round tables with people they do not know. To ensure this, set up decorative fortune cookies of red, gold, and silver with each guests name on it. To promote getting to know each other, as well as to signify that a Chinese wedding is all about bring families together, set up traditional Chinese tile games.

Have red and gold table cloths covered with beautiful, colorful flowers as the center piece. Flowers are not only decorative, but a symbol of happiness, life and fertility. Avoid white flowers, especially roses, since that is used for funerals and sad events. Instead, choose Chinese flowers such as the orchards, peonies and of course the lotus.

Chinese instrumental music should be played throughout the wedding celebration. It will tie together the whole Chinese wedding theme and leave the couple, their joined families and all their guests with memories they will never forget.