Weddings are a celebration of love and commitment, and can also be a

celebration of the couple's religion and culture.

Chinese Wedding Ceremony

During a formal Chinese wedding proposal, the groom’s family will present
different gifts to announce the engagement, which is usually food and cakes. 

 Tea ceremony

The ritual of the Chinese Wedding Tea ceremony has prevailed over time as
it is an important part of Chinese culture. Even the most simplistic of Chinese
weddings will include this ritual. The bride and groom serves tea to their
parents and older married relatives such as grandparents, uncles, aunties,
and cousins. It signifies a symbol of love, respect and gratitude. The tea
recipients will remain seated while the couple kneel or bow to serve them the
tea, and will then present them with an ang pao packet (cash gift).

After the ritual is over, the couple will sit in their seats and be greeted by the
children of their families who will call them “aunty” and “uncle”, and the
couple will give them ang pao. Traditionally, tea also symbolises purity,
stability, and fertility. It is a meaningful moment in a Chinese wedding as it
seen as the moment when the two families officially unite in marriage.
Indian Wedding Ceremony
The wedding altar (mandapa) is built the day of and the groom is
welcomed by his future mother in law where his feet are then washed
and he is offered milk and honey. His sister in law will attempt to steal
his shoes and if she succeeds, the groom must pay her to get them
back. An Indian groom typically wears a turban with a veil of flowers to
protect him from evil spirits.

Kanyadaan

                                          
During kanyadaan, the bride’s parents give their daughter away in marriage. The
groom makes three promises – to be just (dharma), earn sufficiently to support his
family, (artha) and love his wife (kama). He repeats these vows thrice in the
presence of Agni (the sacred fire) and all who are gathered there.

The bride then leaves for the groom’s home where her mother-in-law has placed a
vessel filled with rice at the entrance of the home. The bride is supposed to spill the
rice by touching it with her right foot to signify wealth and that the bride accepts her
new responsibilities.
Malay Wedding Ceremony
AKAD NIKAH

A Malay wedding proper begins with the akad nikah (marriage contract) ceremony.

The groom signs the marriage contract and agrees to provide the bride with a mas
kahwin (mahar,literally 'marriage gold' in form of money or goods or anything as
requested by the bride).It is opposite to dowry where the mas khawin is paid by the
groom to the bride. The mas khawin is a symbol to show that the men is willing and
are prepared to build a family with the lady he chose to get married to. The contract
signing is done before a religious official and is accompanied by prayer.
If the bersanding is to take place the next day, the couple's hands are dyed with
henna during the berinai besar (great henna-ing) ceremony. The bride's hair is also
trimmed, eyebrows shaped and make-up applied by a beautician, known as the mak
andam. Then the bride puts on her tudung (hijab or headscarf) to cover their hair
and a selendang, or embroidered and beaded shawl over that. A crown is also
placed on top of the shawl. If the bersanding does not take place on the day
following the nikah, these preparation customs are delayed until the bersanding.

BERSANDING

The bersanding (enthronement) ceremony begins with the groom's procession with

friends, relatives, musicians and people waving bunga manggar (palm blossom) to
meet the bride. Often various good-humoured attempts are made to waylay or stop
the groom from getting to the bride. The main part of the bersanding involves the
seating of the bridal couple on a dais and sprinkling them with yellow rice and
scented water by family members, relatives and guests as a sign of blessing. Each
guest will receive a bunga telur (egg flower), a decorated egg with a fabric flower, as
a sign of fertility. The couple are considered royalty for the day, and so various royal
customs are performed for them, including musicians playing court music and
'bodyguards' performing a display of pencak silat (traditional Malay martial arts).

Conclusion

Every culture contributes it’s own characteristics to wedding traditions. Learning

about different wedding customs from around the world is a great way to understand
the lifestyles and special traditions of other cultures and even to better understand
your own. Indian weddings have many unique customs so especially if you plan on
attending one or throwing your own, it’s a great idea to gain a good understanding of
what to expect.