Because Krystle is ethnically Chinese of course! Our tea ceremony will honor her Chinese, Malaysian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese roots. Accordingly, we will use lots of terms in Hokkien and Cantonese (because technically "Chinese" is not a language).
The tea ceremony (tin teh [Hokkien], jum cha [Canto], jing cha [Mandarin]) is a common wedding tradition in Chinese culture when the bride and groom pay their respects and show their gratitude towards their parents, new in-laws, and elders by serving them tea.
Yes! The parents are served tea first, followed by grandparents and then the rest of the extended family (uncles/aunties, elder siblings, elder cousins) in order of seniority.
In return for the tea, family members and elders give their blessings to the newlyweds by gifting them ang paos [Hokkien] (red envelopes with money).
Chinese/Malaysian weddings are colorful! The bride and groom will be wearing red and gold, so just as you wouldn't wear white to a Western wedding, we kindly ask that you do not wear predominantly red to ours. We also ask that you refrain from wearing predominantly solid white and black clothing. Again, think colorful! If you choose to wear white, opt for something with colorful designs. You certainly may wear Western clothing as you would to any other wedding celebration. Ladies, if you would like to wear something more traditional, you can search Qipao or Cheongsam. Here is a link for reference: https://www.bethandbrianqipao.com/collections/moder-qipao Again, we will be both indoors and outdoors in the middle of July, therefore plan accordingly.
Chinese food after a Chinese ceremony would only be fitting. Food will be served family-style and each table will have a ten-course meal. Most dishes will have a protein (beef, chicken and/or seafood), greens, and rice.