Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Wonderful Wedding

Sunday night we had the privilege of attending a Taiwanese wedding! Even better, the bride was Kerry, who I've been working with at Fuhsing for almost two years. We were so happy for her and her husband Harry, and excited to learn about many different customs. For example, Phoebe warned us not to say "Goodbye" to the couple as we left, because it insinuated that the marriage wouldn't last (needless to say, we were watching our words carefully). We were also told wearing pink or red would bring the couple good luck, but wearing black clothes meant we were wishing them death. I've decided to put in lots of pictures for those who may be interested (mostly for Carole!)
First they brought out traditional dancers and carried the "fake bride" up in a carriage. The wedding had many traditional elements and was completely in the Taiwanese language (most things here are in Mandarin Chinese). It was fun to watch the bride and groom stamp their names on the wedding certificate. Here people use chops (small pieces of stone or wood engraved with the unique Chinese characters of your name) instead of signatures on all official documents.

The food was quite delicious. Shark fin soup (on the right) is a common wedding dish. We were told it was very important to eat both a white and a pink rice ball from the dish on the left, it ensures that the couple will have children soon!

And of course, one of the best parts of weddings in Taiwan is the pictures! The industry is massive, and the couple get hundreds of pictures taken before the wedding. The dresses are provided by the company, and there are dozens and dozens of different settings. The couple was giving out wallet sized pictures at the end, and we could flip through their "album." You might also have noticed that Kerry wore three different dresses and hairstyles throughout the night (it was hard to tell which one she looked the most beautiful in!)

Posted by Kathleen @ 5:07 PM