Chinese Tea Ceremony in Melbourne
Over the last few decades, Chinese weddings have modernised, partly due to the following influences of western practices. However, the tradition of tea ceremonies has remained and is deeply rooted and treasured in Chinese weddings today. The Chinese tea ceremony is arranged on the day of the wedding where the bride and the groom are dressed in traditional wedding garments, qipao and cheongsam serving tea to their parents, in-laws and other family members in a kneeling format before their elders. The practice symbolises the union of the two households, welcoming the bride and groom into their representative families. This is a meaningful event that takes place to express acceptance, respect and honor by serving tea.
What are the customary procedures?
When couples serve tea, they should kneel before their parents and elders as a sign of respect. The serving of the tea follows the order of seniority. Serving order starts with the parents and goes down to the grandparents, uncles, and aunts and down the hierarchy to the siblings.
Moreover, couples are required to use both hands to serve tea and to address each person they serve with an appropriate title. Normally, the bridesmaids assist the couples by handing over the tea to them and refilling the small teapot.
After taking tea, gifts in form of jewellery and red packets are presented by parents and relatives while saying words of blessings. Jewellery is usually worn immediately by the couples as a sign of appreciation.
The Duration
The Chinese wedding tea ceremony itself is an intimate and delicate event that can be carried out as a short or long event. It is a traditional service of offering tea to the couple’s parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other close family members. The duration of the tea ceremony process depends entirely on the number of people that will be attending the tea ceremony and who are part-taking in the practice. Traditionally, the service is held by the bridal’s party and the bridesmaids often act as the attendants making and providing the tea, passing over the teaware. If you are planning to have a large tea ceremony with 50 people involved in one ceremony, this will certainly increase the duration of the services. Some couples, prefer to organise the ceremony into two separate days. However, this will generally require a second wardrobe change and with additional preparations.
What to Prepare
The Chinese wedding tea ceremony decorations are an integral part of the atmosphere that is prevalent in this exquisite custom. The items you would require for this ceremony are:
Traditional outfits, qipao or cheongsam
Items adorned with the Chinese symbol for “double happiness”. These symbols must be in gold lettering and should be prominently displayed on the cushions or even on the walls.
Pillows for the bride and groom to kneel on. Traditionally these pillows/cushions are red and display Chinese characters in gold lettering.
A tea set that contains a teapot and teacups. There are many varieties of tea sets that are used but it is recommended to go with sets that have Chinese lettering or art. It is also recommended to use sets made of bone china.
There are three types of Chinese tea commonly used which include tieguanyin, pu’er, and jasmine tea. Any sweet tea, symbolizes “sweetness” in the new association, so spices may be used to add sweetness.
Whole red dates and lotus seeds are essential for the tea as they are traditionally used to symbolise blessings for future offspring.
The Chinese wedding tea ceremony is an honoured tradition that marks one of the most important days of your life. It helps you connect with your roots and would make your families happy. We understand that planning and conducting a tea ceremony by yourself can be a stressful task on your wedding day so we have decided to cater to those needs with our set packages. With us, you will experience a modern yet traditional touch that is embedded in the Chinese culture. View our hire page to explore products.