Tea Ceremony Photos
We have another fun post to share with you. It’s Dang and Linh’s Tea Ceremony photos taken the night before their Church of St. Columba wedding in St. Paul, MN. It was an evening filled with rich traditions with many family and close friends in attendance.
A portrait of the future newlyweds on the front lawn.
Below, I’ve listed some of the traditions that I witnessed and included some of the Tea Ceremony photographs that I captured during Dang and Linh’s ceremony. There’s also a nice music video with many more photos at the end of the post.
Vietnamese Traditions
If I have this correct, in a Tea Ceremony, the groom, Dang, his family, and friends arrive at the bride’s house bearing decorated boxes, covered in red cloth. Inside these boxes are gifts representing the wealth that the groom’s family will bring to the bride’s family. Gifts are betel, fruit, cakes, a roast pig, fabric, and jewelry for the bride, Linh. Usually, the number of gift boxes is 5, 7, or 9. The number must be an odd number. The gifts are covered by the red color paper or cloth. In Vietnamese beliefs, the odd number and the red color will bring luck to the young couple.
Dang & Linh’s gift boxes, covered in pretty red cloth.
Upon arriving at the bride’s home, the members of both families lineup and the gifts are passed from the grooms family to the brides family.
Dang & Linh’s friends and family holding gift boxes and the roasted pig.
Members of the procession are introduced to the bride’s family, and the bride’s family introduces its members to the procession. The groom presents his gifts to the bride’s family, and he is then given permission to greet Linh, the bride, who is finally brought out.
Tea Ceremony Pictures of The Permission Ceremony
The permission ceremony begins in front of the bride’s ancestor altar. The bride and groom burn incense sticks, asking for permission from the ancestors to bless them. The couple turns and bows to their parents, gives thanks for raising and protecting them. The bride and groom then bow to each other.
The moment when Linh entered the room during the Tea Ceremony.
A formal tea and candle ceremony along with speeches follow. While tea has always been an essential part of Vietnamese life. However, a traditional wedding may be the only time in a Vietnamese person’s life that a formal tea ceremony is essential.
The bride and groom, in front of all their guests, will turn to their parents. Each parent will then give advice about marriage and family to the couple. A candle ceremony will follow, symbolizing the joining of the bride and groom and the joining of the two families. The groom’s gift boxes filled with jewelry will be opened by the groom’s mother, who will then put each piece on the bride for good fortune.
Then members of the families came up to greet Linh and Dang and many also present them with gifts at that time as well. It was so nice to see that these long-time family traditions are being honored so nicely.
A candid photo showing Dang & Linh’s beautiful Tea Ceremony clothes.
Tea Ceremony Family Photos
Upon the conclusion of Linh and Dang’s Tea Ceremony, we went back outside on this beautiful evening for family photos in the front yard. I’ve included many of the images, and some nice portraits of the “almost” married couple, in the cute music video below.
Highlights of their pretty wedding ceremony at Church of St. Columba in St. Paul, MN, and a really beautiful wedding reception held at The Van Dusen Mansion will be coming up in the days ahead. Oh yeah, and yet another stunning light painted wedding photo created at The Van Dusen Mansion is coming your way too!
Thank you for reading our post and we hope you have a great one! – M&J