A theme based on a country of origin is one of the best ways you can celebrate your special day with a unique wedding theme. Not only do you get to relay your personal history and culture onto your guests, but the traditional ceremony and games are usually enjoyed by most guests. It's a fun experience, and at the same time a learning experience.

            These unique wedding themes are not exclusive to those who are of a particular descent, however. Even people who have no specific ties to a certain culture, and are simply fascinated by it can have a wedding following a certain heritage theme.

Chinese Theme

            Similar to Irish and German themed weddings, a Chinese themed wedding has a lot of tradition and culture mixed into the ceremony and reception. A traditional Chinese ceremony will be somewhat difficult to pull off, however, and you may want to have an officiate marry you instead. What the bride, groom, and bridal party can do however is to wear traditional Chinese wedding colors.

            The entire bridal party wear red and yellow, not white because white is associated with funerals. The bride wears a red silk dress (with or without a jacket) with a gold dragon or phoenix embroidered onto the dress and red silk shoes. She also wears a red veil with a phoenix crown, and carries a lotus flower cupped between her hands instead of a bouquet. Her bridesmaids wear yellow silk dresses with red flowers in their hair. The groom also wears red with a gold dragon or phoenix embroidered onto his clothes, while his best men also wear yellow with red trimming.

            Apart from the color specifics, brides wear jade jewelry for luck and prosperity during the marriage. The recurring themes of happiness, luck, prosperity, and love are usually seen all over the reception decorations, with banners in red background and gold writing showing the Chinese symbols for these four wishes for the married couple. The Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling also carry these symbols on their paper covering.

            Tables are often decorated with bamboo shoots with single orchids within the hollow of the bamboo. Another option is to have silver bowls with floating lotus flowers at the center. The food, of course, is traditional Chinese. Often, Peking duck, egg rolls, roasted pig, vegetable stir fry, fried rice, Roasted goose, dimsum, and Chinese teas are served in various courses throughout the meal.

            Wedding cake can be traditional, with tiers, but in order to entertain your guests, have a fortune cookie tower and serve fortune cookies and moon cake as your dessert. Fortune cookies are not traditionally Chinese, though, so be warned that it is really a Chinese-American tradition. Finally, give away sandalwood fans of chopsticks with the names of the couple and the wedding date written in Chinese. It's the perfect ending to your unique wedding theme!

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