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As with many other societies it used to be the case that arranged marriages were very common in China, which sometimes meant that the bride and groom's first sight of each other took place at the wedding ceremony itself. Nowadays things are very different and people are free to marry whosoever they choose. However, there are still some customs and traditions that are observed and the formal agreement of the parents to the betrothal is still sought.

When he visits the girls parents the boy must take betrothal gifts to show his sincerity. Once those gifts are accepted by the parents the couple are than formally engaged to be married. When the girl visits his parents she receives a formal gift from them to signify she is their future daughter in law. On the wedding day itself the bride prepares a dowry and takes it to the boys parents. This dowry is made up of things like clothes, blankets, and daily necessities. Traditional items for a dowry are things like a ruler to symbolize acres of fields, and vases to symbolize peace and wealth.

In Chinese culture choosing the right day for the wedding date is very important. As it is such an important event in someone's life the wedding should take place on a day which symbolizes goodness or on one of the festival days. This date is selected according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

Red is the traditional color for Chinese weddings as it is the color of good fortune. Everything from the brides dress to the wedding decorations will be red, and the wedding guests will also normally try to include a touch of red as part of their wedding outfits.

A formal Chinese wedding requires the groom to collect his bride from her parents home. The wedding party will then either go to his parents home or to the place where the wedding banquet will be held. If they go to his parents home they then perform a tea ceremony for the parents and, in return, the parents will present the bride with a red envelope containing money.

All relatives and friends are invited to the wedding banquet. It is traditional for the bride and groom to drink half a glass of wine from a pair of glasses tied together with a ribbon. They then cross hands and drink the remainder of the wine from the glasses. This ceremony is believed to increase their love for each other.

As eight is thought to be a lucky number it is customary to serve eight courses at the wedding banquet. Main courses commonly include fowl that mates for life such as duck or geese and Peking Duck is also a popular dish as it is red in color. In some parts of China the fish served at the banquet should not be totally eaten, the head, tail and full skeleton should be left untouched to signify a good start and end to the marriage. The double happiness symbol, which is a special Chinese character, will also appear at the wedding banquet. It is usual for a double happiness symbol to feature behind the head table where the bride and groom sit at the banquet.

After the banquet it is customary for guests to play games, usually centered around quests for difficult questions for example. These can often continue late into the night and is done deliberately to prevent the new bride and groom from retiring to the marriage bed.

Of course nowadays many Chinese couples no longer observe all of the above customs and opt for a simpler, less expensive wedding ceremony.

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