You can never have too many wedding dresses!
In this week’s edition of exploring the history of various wedding traditions around the world, we take a look at Chinese weddings, in which the bride changes her look throughout the reception in a slew of outfit changes that might rival those of your favorite pop star. Of course, we at Something Lovely LOVE a ceremony that lets the bride really change up her looks, and we are so thrilled to break down this fashionable tradition for you this week!
In a bid to blend together Chinese heritage and Western style, a Chinese bride may wear up to four dresses at her ceremony, which features a customary six-course dinner. The first dress might be a traditional American white dress, which gets swapped out with a red dress after three courses. Chinese American women will do this as well. Red signifies good luck in Chinese culture, and the color is liberally used throughout the entire ceremony. The style of the red dress may vary based on where the bride’s family is from, geographically (northern or southern China). A northern Chinese bride will wear a long, form-fitting gown called a qipao or cheongsam. A southern Chinese bride will wear a two-piece outfit (a hung kwa) consisting of a decorative jacket over a long, embroidered skirt. Additionally, in more elaborate weddings, the bride may wear a gilded tiara decorated with feathers and pearls to represent a phoenix.
After the sixth course, the bride changes into another Chinese wedding dress (again, it may be red, just the like the dress before it), and finally, the bride may even change into a fourth dress while she and her new husband thank guests for attending and bid them good night at the end of the evening. Check out the images below for a peek at what a Chinese bride might wear…and head over to our Pinterest to see even more inspirational images.Information via:http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesefestivals/a/Chinese-Wedding-Dresses.htmlhttp://chinese.weddings.com/articles/chinese-wedding-attire-ideas.aspxPhoto via: Google images