In Vietnam, the wedding is very important, not only to the couple involved but also for both families. Thus, it is usually included quite a few formal ritual observances.
The wedding is usually chosen well in advance by the groom and the bride’s parents. On the wedding day, the groom’s family and relatives go to the bride’s house bringing a lot of gifts wrapped in red cloths. These gifts must include betel leaves, areca nuts, wines, fruits and tea. The groom’s family would stop in front of the bride’s house. The leading couple should enter the house first, bringing a tray with wine and tiny cups on it. They would invite the bride’s parents to take a sip. By accepting a toast, the bride’s family agrees for the groom’s family to enter their house. The groom’s family would introduce themselves and ask permission for their son to marry his bride. The master of the ceremony, usually a respected person among the bride’s relatives instructs the bride’s parents to present their daughter. The bride then follows her parents out. She is in traditional wedding ‘Ao dai’, which is usually in red. The wedding ceremony starts in front of the altar, the bride and the groom would kneel down and pray, asking their ancestor’s permission to be married, also asking for blessing on their family to be. The couple then turns around and bow down to the bride’s parents to say thank for raising and protecting her since birth. They then bow their head to each other, which means to show their gratitude and respect toward their soon to be husband or wife. The groom and the bride then exchange wedding rings. The ceremony is ended with a round of applause.
Today, a lot of Vietnamese couples have their wedding ceremony done in temples or churches, which is very much similar to Western-style, including changing vowels. However, they still maintain Vietnamese traditional ceremony in the bride’s home before heading to churches or temples.
