Chinese Wedding Banquet
I’m sure we all know that almost all the Chinese that got married will have wedding banquet to feast their friends and relatives. It’s a must for most people. Some have them very small scale such as only close friends and relatives are invited. Some have them so huge that they invite practically anyone that they know regardless of how well they know them!
It’s usually held at home(provided the house is big enough to accomodate all the guests), restaurants or hotels.
When it’s the good month of the lunar calender, many of us will surely be getting tonnes of “bombs” aka wedding banquet invitations. If there’re clashes we’ll have to forego those that we are not keen to attend. This is the time we always hear many people whining for having to fork out ang paos(red packets) when attending a wedding banquet. One or two invitations are fine but when it comes to almost everyday you have to attend one, you will feel the pinch on your monthly expenditure.
Usually you are required to give them ang paos however many couples nowadays won’t accept any ang pao or gift from their guests. It’s getting more and more popular because they believe that you are invited to celebrate with them and not invited to foot the banquet bill while celebrating their big day with you. People are more happy to attend wedding banquet like this compare to the former.
So… What is this wedding banquet all about that it’s a must for many people?
Chinese wedding banquets were traditionally paid for by the groom’s parents. The bride’s parents and relatives are invited guests. It is a tradition for the bride’s parents to ask for a few tables at the wedding banquet during the wedding negotiations. It is considered as part of the bride’s “price”.
The number of tables asked for may range from five to as many as twenty. With rising costs of wedding banquet, this big ticket item frequently becomes a sore point in wedding negotiations.
Nowadays, if the bride’s family would like to have their own wedding banquet, they will have one on other day instead of the actual day. The actual day is reserved for the groom’s family. As for the table requested, it will be utilised on the day the bride’s family wedding banquet is held. Basically, the groom’s family will sponsor the requested number of tables for the bride’s family banquet and the rest of the bills are footed by the bride’s family.
Nosey friends and relatives on both sides will frequently ask about the number of tables agreed upon as they like to pass judgments on the generosity of the groom’s parents or greediness of the bride. I’m sure we all hate this, don’t you?!?! What to do? There is no way you can avoid it anyway. Just don’t care about them and enjoy your wedding banquet, it’s yours, not theirs.
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Well, I couldn’t agree more. I guess the main reason more and more couples are having dinners is to follow how tradition used to be during their parent’s times. It’s kind a way how it’s being communicated to our friends and relatives that this couple is now officially married.
I would say couples preferred the simple and romantic to celebrate their wedding day, but, however, before getting married, they were already blast with “bombs” from their friends, and relatives. Therefore, when their wedding turn arrives, they would also want to earn back those they had “contributed” before or perhaps to pay for the future friends whom are getting married. Yes, kiasu I would say.
Honeymoon weddings have no gain in terms of monetary. But yet, it’s the most simple way. Well, no matter how diffcult it is, one will surely one to endeavor, as we could it’s the first and should be the final time in our life.
derrick1822, the “earn back” part is kinda true also ;p
Apr 3rd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
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