Chinese Tea Ceremony at a Canadian Wedding

A bridal shower in honour of Michelle before the wedding

Summer months are very precious in Canada. There are only a few months that Canadians can get married, and have their wedding ceremonies or bridal pictures taken outside with short sleeve weather.

These outside wedding picture months are namely June, July and August.

Relatives and friends got together at the bridal shower

Consequently, majority of Canadian weddings do occur during these three months. In the span of these three months, we have and will attend three weddings. In early June before I headed out to PEI, I shared  my sister's bliss and attended her younger child's wedding in Burlington, Ontario.

Pre wedding events are happy moments for families and friends

 I love weddings because these are happy events that draw family members together from all across the country.

 Er. was able to take a break from work in New York and was in Toronto for a few days. Er is incredible when comes to attending family events. Though he has been living in the U.S. for almost ten years now, he always tries his best to come home for these special family events.

He has not missed any wedding or funeral and his extended family certainly has appreciated his time and efforts. My husband and I certainly look forward to his homecoming for Christmas; he has not missed spending one Christmas at home with us all these years and we love having him home!

Alan and Michelle's Wedding Reception - The Burlington Botanical Garden

Alan and Michelle got married at the Burlington Botanical Garden, an absolutely beautiful venue with gorgeous flowers, exotic plants and unique architectural pieces placed throughout the garden. It was easy to get to and about an hour drive from Toronto.

Signing the wedding registrar at the wedding

On top of that, they had picture perfect weather that day. ( Occasionally in early June, we  have had some crazy weather such as hails or even snow in Toronto, Canada. One year, we had hail balls as big as golf balls in June and they totally destroyed the beautiful flowers we planted earlier.)

Michelle and Alan were blessed from the started with great weather on their wedding day. Every one of Alan's and Michelle's' family members made their efforts to attend their wedding, flying in from across the country. 

The wedding ceremony was held outdoor under a big canopy with much shade  for the guests. The bride, walked down the path on her mother's arms and  looked stunningly beautiful and radiant!








As a young person, I never understood why people cry at weddings.

 But as I have aged slowly over the years, I, too, could not hold my tears at weddings.

The happy new couple!

Now I understand, these are tears of joy and happiness for the new couple and wishing them the best as they exchanged their vows before families and friends.

Cutting the wedding cake

There were a number of things I really enjoyed at the wedding. For instance, I liked the respect both Alan and Michelle had shown for their different cultures, families and friends.

They made sure that everyone who came and celebrated with them got a picture taken with them.

They had a precise picture taking order worked out ahead of time and the groups were called one by one. Though there were many people, they both made efforts to chat and thank all the guests.

Tea Ceremony - that was another part of the wedding that I enjoyed.  Alan and Michelle's made sure that the Tea Ceremony was part of the wedding program. It took place in a garden with a beautiful waterfall and water cascading down one side of the garden wall.

 The new couple asked to have special chairs set in this garden  so that the older family members could have ample seats on which they could rest.

Tea Ceremony - Showing Love & Support to the Newly Weds

The Chinese Tea Ceremony is an ancient tradition in which the bride and groom  are welcome into their respective new family by the immediate and close family members on both sides.

It usually starts with the groom's side, with the oldest person i.e. grandparents, followed by parents and then the older siblings, and uncles and aunts etc.( Family members younger than the bride and groom are not part of this ceremony. They are on the side observing and supporting only. )

Close relative sharing encouragment during the Tea Ceremony

Both the bride and groom will offer a cup of tea to the older family members who will take a sip from the tea,welcoming the new couple and offering encouragement and words of wisdom about marriage and family.

The bride was touched to tears at the Tea Ceremony

After these few words, the older family member will present a gift to the bride or couple depending on the gift, usually a piece of heirloom or jewelry, or a red envelop with money inside.  ( This is in addition to the regular wedding gift.)

It is one of the most touching moments in the Chinese parents' and the son's or daughter's life. It signifies the acceptance of bride/ groom into the new family and the support and encouragement that their parents/ immediate families will give them in the future.

The couple was quite emotional about the ceremony, especially the bride who was tearing in the middle of it.

Close family members offer gifts to the bride during the Tea Ceremony

 When it was our turn for the tea ceremony, Stan and I shared our word of wisdom and presented to Michelle a white pearl necklace.  

It was a pleasure for me to put it around her neck. Alan and Michelle's make such a lovely couple together!

Relatives and friends shared the couple's happiness

After the tea ceremony, and some drinks at the open bar, it was time for a sit down dinner.

At a Canadian wedding, it is customary  to make the new couple kiss each other by banging our silverware on the tables or on the dishes and making noises to demand these public kisses.

 Alan and Michelle came prepared!

They informed us that in order for them to kiss each other during this wedding reception, each table or group must work together and sing a song with the word love in it. This was a very creative idea from the new couple.

Alan's cousins and relatives celebrated with them

I attended numerous weddings in Canada, but this was the first time the wedding couple made the guests work for their kisses.

Alan and Michelle had many creative friends and relatives!

There were many love songs sung that evening, such as Elvis' Love Me Tender, the Beatles' Can buy me love, Alan's parents sang Jesus Loves Me,  even O Canada! Yes, indeed, there is the word love in our national anthem.

Cousins Performing Their Song of Love for Michelle and Alan

The highlight of the love songs was the performance by the couple's cousins, our sons - Er., Jonathan, Pat,  Jordon and a friend, who got together and did a little number for us all!  It was a lots of fun and a great celebration!

 The dancing started right after dinner and everyone stayed and danced till midnight. The reception area was spacious and elegant.

There was a lot of room to move around including a special place for drinks, a quieter place for guests to sit and  converse with each other.

May God bless you as you start a new life together!

 
Michelle and Alan were very happy and so was everyone. We wish them all the best as they start a new and wonderful life together! May God bless them!

R.T.
Burlington, Ontario.

July 15, 2012
p.s. for more pictures on Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony, please google the following link:

http://rtam1206.blogspot.ca/2014/04/a-happy-family-occasion.html

for another entry titled A Joyous Family Occasion -28/04/2014.