Chinese Tea Ceremony

Sala Bianca @ Villa Cora
Viale Machiavelli, 18, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Thursday 5th May 2016
14:00-15:30

~ Family - please attend ~
~ All Other Guests - optional ~
Dress Code: Smart Casual

Immersed in tradition, the Chinese tea ceremony is the most sacred ritual of Chinese nuptials. It serves as the bride’s symbolic introduction to the groom’s family. The act of serving tea represents respect and gratitude to the bride and groom's parents for all the years of their love and care. Family members also show their acceptance of the new couple into their respective families by drinking the tea. Tea is served by the bride and groom to each of their elder family members, beginning with the bride's parents, then the groom's parents, followed by other family members in order of descending age. Tea is the symbol of purity, stability and fertility. The purity of tea symbolises that the love is pure and noble; the stability of tea represents faithful love; and the fertility of tea suggests that the bride and groom will have many children. At the conclusion of the serving of tea, the groom will present a perfect whole roast pig to the bride's family, traditionally offered as a sign of the bride's virginity.

Photography by Jacob & Pauline Wedding Photography.
Image shot at All Souls College, University of Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.