The sequence, and what each part needs
Weeks before
Guo Da Li
Betrothal gifts, both families, a coordinated date.
Night before
Hair combing
Family elders, small guest list, timing set with the stylist.
Morning
Door games
Bridesmaids briefed, travel time between homes, videographer.
Midday
Tea ceremony
Tea set, seating order for elders, red packets, a quiet room.
Evening
Banquet
Ten-person round tables, set courses, toast order, seating chart.
VENDORS THIS WEDDING BOOKS
TYPICAL BUDGET
$50k to $90k
For 180 to 220 guests. Banquet catering is usually priced per table rather than per head, which changes how the guest list is managed.
Plan this wedding in AyeDu
Understand
The events, in order
- Guo Da Li
- Hair combing
- Door games
- Tea ceremony
- Banquet
Plan
Turn the rituals into a plan
Each event gets its own guest list, timeline and budget line.
Find
Vendors for Chinese weddings
Filtered by the traditions each vendor has worked, not just their category.
The date, then everything
The date comes out of a ze ri consultation or a family elder’s almanac, not a venue’s availability calendar, and auspicious dates concentrate demand, so the banquet books seven to nine months out.
The longest lead time in the whole project is the dress: a hand-embroidered qun kwa takes six to fourteen months. It gets ordered the moment the date exists.
Tables, not heads
Banquets price per table of ten, so 183 guests and 190 guests cost the same and the guest list is managed in tables. Couples who negotiate per head are negotiating the wrong unit.
Ten courses fired hot to twenty round tables at once is a specific kitchen operation most hotel ballrooms cannot do, which is why the real question is whether the venue permits an outside Chinese banquet caterer.
Guest etiquette
Avoid white and black, both worn at funerals. Red is genuinely contested (some families encourage it, others reserve it for the bride), so ask.
The gift is cash in a red envelope, judged against the cost of your seat: amounts ending in 8 for prosperity, never containing 4. Hand it over with both hands at the sign-in table.
Where couples go wrong
Underestimating the tea list. Serving runs six to eight minutes per couple, so a large extended family is a two-hour block.
Booking a lion dance without asking the venue: ceiling height, drum volume, lettuce debris and firecrackers are all venue conversations first.
Common questions
Chinese weddings, answered
A Chinese wedding typically opens with door games at the bride’s home, followed by a tea ceremony where the couple serves tea to both families in order of seniority and receives red packets in return. The day closes with a banquet seated at ten-person round tables with a set course order.
What is a Chinese tea ceremony?
The tea ceremony is the moment the couple is formally received into both families. They kneel and serve tea to elders in strict order of seniority, and receive red envelopes or jewelry in return. It usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, needs a quiet room, and requires the seating order agreed with both families beforehand.
What to wear to a Chinese wedding?
Guests should avoid white and black, both associated with mourning, and avoid red, which is traditionally reserved for the bride. Most other colors are welcome. The bride commonly changes several times across the day, from a qipao or cheongsam for the tea ceremony to a Western gown for the banquet.
What are door games?
Door games are the challenges the bridesmaids set for the groom and his party before they will let him collect the bride. They are played for laughs and they take real time, often 45 minutes to an hour. Build them into the morning schedule and brief the videographer, because this is the footage people rewatch.
How is a Chinese banquet seated?
Banquets are seated at round tables of ten and are usually priced per table rather than per head, which changes how the guest list is managed: nine guests and ten guests cost the same. Elders and immediate family sit closest to the couple, and the toast order follows the same seniority.
Do Cantonese and northern Chinese weddings differ?
Yes, meaningfully. Cantonese, Hokkien and northern Chinese practice differ in ritual names, sequence, and which events carry the most weight, and diaspora families often blend in local custom. This guide covers the common structure; each regional variant is reviewed by someone from that community before it publishes.