How to Have a Chinese Tea Ceremony at Your Wedding

Serving tea, China's national drink, is a sign of respect at a Chinese wedding. That's why many couples include this tradition as an important part of their special day.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Chairs
• Lotus
• Red Dates
• Teas
• Teacups

1. Prepare tea with lotus seeds and two red dates to serve after the ceremony. The reason for this is that "lotus" and "year" sound alike in Chinese, as do "seed" and "child," and "date" and "early." Chinese tradition holds that adding the items to the tea helps to encourage fertility.
2. Remember that serving sweet tea to the groom's family during the wedding ceremony also helps bring about sweet relations between the bride and her new family.
3. Allow time at the wedding for you and your spouse to serve tea together to the groom's family.
4. Invite the groom's elders to join in. Address them by their formal names, such as First Aunt and Third Uncle.
5. Offer chairs for the guests.
6. Arrange the seating with the women to the left and the men to the right.
7. Kneel down with your spouse on the floor.
8. Remember that the bride is positioned in front of her father-in-law, the groom in front of his mother.
9. Arrange for lucky women, or ones who will bring you good luck, to help you serve.
10. Hold the teacup in both hands when you present it to each person.
11. Serve the tea to the groom's parents first, then proceed in order from the oldest participant to the youngest.
12. Expect to receive lucky red envelopes, called lai see, containing money or jewelry, from the groom's family.
13. Look for these envelopes to be placed on the platter on which the tea is served.

Tips & Warnings

• While the wedding tea ceremony is only for the groom's family, the bride serves tea earlier in the day to her own parents. In this way, she thanks them for raising her.