A Chinese Wedding

Yesterday, we experienced more China firsts when we got to share our friends' Chinese wedding day with them.  They have been "legally married" one year, but according to my understanding, the receiving of the marriage certificate in China is just the starting point to a one-year wait before the "real" marriage begins after the wedding. 

I arrived this morning at the grandmother's house, where the bride-to-be was hidden and waiting with all her friends and family.  It is the man's job to arrive and take his bride from her father's house.  But since, in this case, her father's house is in Colorado, the groom's grandmother's house will have to do.  In a small apartment, more than 40 family members gathered.  From their second-story apartment window, they called down to the groom upon his arrival, swindling many 紅包  (hong bao)"red envelopes" from him before he was even allowed to come up the stairs.  Once at the door, a crowd of young women teased and chastised  the groom as he begged to be allowed to retrieve his bride.  With the support of his buddies, he fulfilled requirements to sing three songs in English and three songs in Chinese.  With additional payment of a few more red envelopes, he was allowed to enter the house...But no where close to his bride yet!
 

After begging for access to his bride once more, the women required he do push ups!  After that, a throng of women line up down the hall, to be challenged one-by-one in rock, paper, scissors...Yes, they know this game in China!  If the groom succeeds, the woman moves out of the line.  If he fails, he must hand over another red envelope and play her again!  When he finally arrives at the door where his bride is being held, he must beg again for entry...Not unless he pays of course!  More hong bao! Hong bao! Hong bao!  He has to negotiate carefully in order to pay as few as possible, knowing he will need more once inside!  An agreement is reached and the door is opened!  He arrived to find his beautiful bride in a traditional red chi pao, but she had no shoes!  Again, he is paying bribes in red envelopes to gain information as to the location of the shoes.  After a long and torturous battle, he finds the gold shoes and places them on his bride's feet. 

The couple then shares tea with her parents in a traditional tea ceremony.  Finally we return to the groom's mother's house to share the same tea ceremony with her.  It was a moving and special experience to share this tradition with my friends on their Chinese wedding day.