A Chinese Wedding

On Nov. 2 we had the opportunity to attend the Xiamen wedding of the workers from Lifetime. Both Lori and her new husband work at Lifetime.

Weddings here are a huge deal. You are invited to attend a nice dinner. Instead of registering of giving gifts, you give money in a red envelope. It ends up being anonymous.

You are greeted at the Hotel (it's usually at a hotel) by the Wedding party, bride, groom, maid of honor and best man. The Maid of honor takes the red envelopes for them and the best man does this:

That's right, he has a tray of complimentary cigarettes.

All of us with the wedding party.

 The dinner table. That's a carafe of wine.

 A video shows the whole time of the photos they had taken previously. They were beautiful.

 The dinner guests at our table.

 Lori and her husband. There was a 15 minute presentation where they say things, drink wine with interwoven arms, and do a champagne waterfall thing.

 Then we all toasted to them. Then an 8 course dinner begins.

Then the bride changes to another dress and the couple goes around and does a toast with every table.

The bride with our beautiful Selena. Selena was the Maid of Honor. Poor girl didn't want to drink any wine because she didn't want to get drunk but when they went around and toasted at each table, some tables made her switch out her alcohol free drink for real wine. She was a little tipsy by the end of the evening. Daniel said the next day she wasn't her usual stellar self. We sure do love her though.

It was a fun evening, but one we don't feel the need to repeat. Because of the free cigarettes (three packs at each table) there were no inhibitions by the guests to smoke in the dining hall. When we got home and undressed we smelled like cigarettes down to our garments and we had to change. It was interesting to attend and we wish the new couple all the best!