Brides Around The World
Red envelopes filled with money and given out to children.
The loud bang of thousands of exploding firecrackers and spectacular flowing silk dragons dancing in the road.
Sumptuous feasts of delectable dishes and sweets.
Bring in the New Year with a Wedding
East Asians are bringing in the Lunar New Year in a big way. Lots of Asian brides choose this auspicious season of the year to have their wedding.
Vietnamese people celebrate the lunar year in pretty much the exact same manner as the Chinese people do. There are many similarities when it comes to wedding traditions as well.
For example, Chinese brides, both modern and classic, typically change outfits three or more times on their wedding night.
Even though this is time consuming, it presents the bridal couple in a new an interesting light.
The Bride Wears 4-5 Dresses!
Vietnamese brides do very much the same. The bride, may wear four to five dresses. And the groom changes outfits too!
This involves a lot of pre-wedding preparation.
The traditional Vietnamese wedding dress, known as Ao Dai, is often fashioned in brilliant yellow and red.
The term Ao Dai literally means “long dress” and it is comprised of over four layers of silky overlapping fabric, which are pleated over loose-fitting trousers made from the same fabric. It is believed that the more the layers, the more wealth of the wearer.
The Dress Depicts the Financial Status
This form of dress in a way depicts the financial status of the person who is wearing it, some well-heeled people wear multiple Ao Dai to display their wealth!
The national dress for both women and men is Ao Dai, which is worn both for festive wedding occasions and every day use.
It is embellished by intricate embroidery of golden yellow motifs that represent marital bliss and prosperity.
Ao Dai has a tight fitting bodice with long slits that extend down from the waist and diagonal seams that run from the neckline to the underarm to accentuate the natural curves of the of the brides figure.
The brides also opt for an outer robe over the Ao dai for a classic appearance. This stunning wedding gown has the option of many necklines to choose from to complete the picture, such as mandarin collars.
Red Is Almost Always The Colour Of Choice
Brilliant pink wedding gowns are also used at times but red is almost always the colour of choice.
Gold trimmings add dollops of exuberance to the wedding apparel. The traditional motifs, Chinese alphabets or the name of the couple are painted or stitched along the back, cuff and collar.
The typical cone shaped hat made from dried woven leaves adorns the brides head, or, the more popular saucer shaped khanh vanh. The bride and the groom change their wedding garments at least three times during the wedding celebrations.
The Ao Dai has attained a cult status of a beautiful stately costume that accentuates all types of feminine figures. Today, it is a popular wedding option among westerners as well, to mingle an Asian theme into their wedding day.
The wedding trousseau can include a western wedding gown with white tuxedo, to the Ao Dai and the evening gown with black tuxedo.
Read how brides all around the world dress.
Regards
Robert
