No Wearing White Before Labour Day

January 29, 2008

My wedding is my day and I can do whatever I want, right? Wrong. So. incredibly. wrong.

This past weekend, my mom's side of the family came over and as we were waiting for dinner to be served, a couple of us started talking about the wedding. I'm the first of the "next generation" on my mom's side to get married so it's sort of a big deal. Anyway, a few of them inquired about how the planning was going and asked me if I needed any help. This got me a little excited because I had finally gotten around to trying out my centrepieces and I wanted to show them off.

As I brought one out, my aunt gasped.. "Is that what you're using?". Awkwardly, I said yes. And at that point, I was gently reminded of the traditions in the Chinese culture and the expectations that some of my guests may have. For those of you who don't know, white in the Chinese culture is strictly reserved for funerals.

Growing up in a Christian household, I was sheltered from these superstitions and we weren't really expected to follow too many of the traditions. While I can respect that other people find the traditions very important, to me, some of the superstitions are rather silly. Normally, I wouldn't be so bothered and I might even comply if it means that I won't step on anyone's toes but here's my predicament - I've already bought the white things and I can't return them.

Warning: The following contains pictures of items that will be worn/used at my wedding. If you think that you might be in attendance that day and would rather be surprised, please stop reading now. Consider this your last warning. I will not be held responsible for any ruined surprises, loss of gasps or for you having a boring time because you thought it was best for you to see things ahead of time. If the above does not apply to you, please, read on!

I present to you...
Exhibit A: The centrepiece.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what my centrepiece will look like... sort of. Trade the cream coloured candle for a white one and the pink stargazer lily with a purple flower of some sort and you'll have what I had in mind. I think white candles look cleaner than cream ones but according to my aunt, you "never burn white candles at a wedding, trust me". Apparently you're not even supposed to burn them in your own room...


Exhibit B: The Cheong Sam

I knew I might be in a little trouble with this one. This is basically the most Chinese traditional piece of my wedding and I really wanted to find a red, or at least pink one, but alas, the perfect one just did not exist (at least not within my time limit). So, after consulting with my relatives in HK, Andrew's relatives in HK and even calling my parents long distance, I hesitantly purchased this dress. I might end up having to buy a different cheongsam for that night if my gut doesn't stop yelling at me. It has, at least, been approved by two of my cousins who are familiar with the Chinese traditions and are not afraid of letting me know if I'm severely out of place.

So now, I have a feeling that after my wedding I will either be extremely poor (from having to purchase replacements for all the white things I have) or extremely disowned (in which case, please kindly take me in).