You asked for her hand in marriage. And she said yes! Plans have been drawn, dates have been set, locations booked. To further enrich your wedding plans, why not incorporate some traditional Chinese wedding symbolism. This will not only make your wedding more exciting and unique, this also symbolizes the fusion of your two cultures as you enter into your new married life. Here are a few Chinese wedding traditions and the meanings of their symbolism.

Traditional Dowry Gifts

Before you jump into conclusions, this type of dowry does not include cash. This is more of lucky symbols that wishes the couple all the best in their married life. Dowries are usually comprised of trinkets such as butterfly shaped scissors, vases and rulers. The scissors symbolize inseparability wishing the couple a long and successful marriage. The vases wish them a peaceful married life. And the rulers wish them prosperity in terms of real estate and land holdings. In addition to this, a chamber pot filled with fruits (especially chestnuts and pomegranates) will wish the couple fertility and children in their future.

The Bridal Bed

Customarily, the newlyweds are to spend their wedding night sharing a bridal bed. To bless the couple with fertility and children, the bridal bed is to be prepared by a woman who is considered to be blessed with a successful marriage and more preferably with kids. She will then scatter auspicious fruits and coins and will allow kids to grab these symbols, like a piñata, minus the donkey hanging overhead. This blesses the bridal bed which the couple will use in hopes of conceiving a little one on their wedding night.

Wedding gifts

Symbolic wedding gifts are also smiled upon in Chinese weddings. A good example is a pair of embroidered shoes which symbolizes togetherness and harmony. This gives the idea of the couple staying together enjoying life with mutual love and respect for each other. Mirrors are good wedding gifts as well since they symbolize perfection, usually pointing to the beauty of the bride. This wishes the couple a life of beauty and youthfulness. Also, the symbol for double happiness is branded on gifts as though wishing the couple happiness, two-fold. This can also be a symbol branded onto the cake or somewhere in the décor.

The color Red

Red is a lucky color for the Chinese. Traditional Chinese weddings have the bride swathed in red to symbolize love, prosperity and happiness. This is in addition to red being considered a bold and lucky color. Red also scares away bad omens due to its vibrancy, which would explain why Chinese New Year tends to be a “Red” occasion as well.

An Abacus

Another beautiful symbolism in Chinese weddings is the abacus. An abacus symbolizes prosperity and wealth as it is traditionally used in computing for income and expenditures. An abacus presented to the newlyweds blesses them with a life full of prosperity and financial stability in their new life together. This is also a wish for the couple to have substantial incomes in the future and that their finances will always be in balance.