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Cultural Wedding Vows

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Chinese Wedding Tradition & Vows...

Red is the Color of Weddings in China

Red is central to the wedding theme of China. It signifies love, joy and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding traditions. The bride's wedding down is often red, as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes or envelopes for cash gifts. Even the bride and groom's homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.

Before the Chinese Wedding Day

Before her wedding celebration, a Chinese bride traditionally goes into seclusion with her closest friends. This Chinese custom gives the bride-to-be some time to symbolically mourn the loss of her friends and family.

Some time before the couple are married, the groom's family carries wedding gifts in red baskets and boxes to the bride's house. One of the baskets will contain "uang susu" or 'milk money'. Others will contain personal things for the bride, so that on her wedding day all of her personal belongings will be in the groom's house. The bride takes the gifts to another room where they are sorted through. Three days before the wedding day, women from the bride's family reciprocate, bearing gifts -- including some 'returns'-- in red wrappings to the groom's family.

Chinese Wedding Vows

Vows from the groom to the bride:

Minister: (groom's name),ni yuàn yì qu (bride's name) zuò wéi ni de qi zi ma,
yu ta zài shén shèng de hun yue zhong gòng tóng sheng huó?
Wú lùn shì jí bìng huò jiàn kang,
pín qióng huò fù yù, mei mào huò shi sè, shùn lì huò shi yì,
ni dou yuàn yì ài ta, an wèi ta, zun jìng ta, bao hù ta?
Bìng yuàn yì zài ni men yi sheng zhi zhong duì ta yong yuan zhong xin bú biàn?
Groom: wo yuàn yì.

Vows from the bride to the groom:

Minister: (bride's name), ni yuàn yì jià (groom's name) zuò wéi ni de zhàng fu ma,
yu ta zài shén shèng de hun yue zhong gòng tóng sheng huó?
Wú lùn shì jí bìng huò jiàn kang,
pín qióng huò fù yù, mei mào huò shi sè, shùn lì huò shi yì,
ni dou yuàn yì ài ta, an wèi ta, zun jìng ta, bao hù ta?
Bìng yuàn yì zài ni men yi sheng zhi zhong duì ta yong yuan zhong xin bú biàn?
Bride: wo yuàn yì.

Translation

Vows from the groom to the bride:

Minister: (groom's name), you are willing to marry (bride's name) as your wife,
in sacred marriage together for life?
Whether she has sickness or health,
poverty or wealth, beauty or is plain, in good times and in bad,
you are willing to love her, to comfort her, to respect her, and protect her?
And willing to be forever loyal to her?
Groom: I want

Vows from the bride to the groom:

Minister: (bride's name), you are willing to marry (groom's name) as your husband,
in sacred marriage together for life?
Whether he has sickness or health,
poverty or wealth, beauty or is plain, in good times and in bad,
you are willing to love him, to comfort him, to respect him, and protect him?
And willing to be forever loyal to him?
Bride: I want