Vietnamese Wedding Traditions
There are many small variations of Vietnamese wedding ceremonies, though many follow some basic guidelines. The variations depend on your family and where they originate from. Many Vietnamese wedding traditions are derived from Chinese wedding traditions (such as a tea ceremony), though they often lack the rigidity of other Asian cultures. The basic outline of the day involves starting at the bride’s house, a ceremony at the groom’s house, and a reception for family and friends. Due to modern influences, this can be arranged differently, such as having a tea ceremony at the engagement party (to have an Americanized wedding ceremony on the day of the wedding). Common wedding traditions, such as the bearing of gifts and serving of tea, may or may not be included in each part of the day. This is based on adherence to Vietnamese wedding tradition and the convenience of flexibility.
Bride’s House
A procession of the groom’s family proceeds to the house bearing gifts (the red draped containers seen in the image to the left). These often contain fruits, wine, tea, cakes, jewelry, or a whole roast pig (no, the pig doesn’t fit in the containers).
