Pre-wedding party (10-20-13)

I had the lovely pleasure of being invited to a Chinese pre-wedding party, it's similar to an engagement party back home. I've learned a lot about actual Chinese weddings from my co-worker Jolene about the wedding.

• October is the ideal time to get married its not to hot or to cold (well in China anyways)
• Like to have pre-wedding parties on Sundays. 
• The numbers 4 and 7 are like unlucky bad numbers and people usually wont get married on those days.
• During the whole marriage process meaning all the parties and the wedding there is a lot of RED, because red means good and happy. Decorations, food, and dresses.
• A lot of Chinese brides will wear a traditional dress like we do in the U.S. for part of the wedding and then change into a traditional Chinese red dress for the other part.  
• Cars covered with roses and all the cars behind it have ribbons on it, that means its a wedding progression of the all wedding party people.
• During the pre-wedding party noodles are served during lunch and rice in the evening for dinner.  

The pre-wedding party is held at the grooms parents house. Once everyone is there they set off fire works to welcome everyone. Everyone who comes eats lunch there which they serve like 8 different dishes and then there is tons of fruit, candy, and drinks around for people to snack on. Once lunch is over everyone hangs out playing games and cards until dinner if they choose to. Once dinner starts in the evening there are like 15 or so dishes that are served to each guest. There is a lot of alcohol and cigarettes that go around. The bride and groom basically go around and make sure everyone is being served and hands out bottles of alcohol, sodas and a lots of other drinks to all the tables. While everyone is eating they make their way around to each table having a shot/ drink and cheers with each table. Once the dinner is over everyone is given a party favor which is a gift box like thing that is full of candies and treats. More fire works are set off as everyone is leaving to signify that it is over.  Each child that is there is given an envelope with a little money in it. It's usually 50 or 100 RMB which is $8-16 USD.  

These are just a few of the things I ate that day. All these were in the morning at the brides house while she was getting ready and her family was finishing up some things.  The brides family made the white biscuit looking thing you see below and the soup. All the food for the lunch and dinner was catered which the grooms family pays for.  Sorry everyone I was only able to get a few pictures of the food. I was too busy eating to take pictures and they brought out each dish one after the other so is was near impossible. So much good is wasted at these things you wouldn't believe and people who know me, know I hate wasting food and I am a tree huger as they call me hahaha  so it really bothered me to know that so much delicious food was going to be thrown out or offered to the people in the area if they wanted it, if not to the trash it went. :( 

I was told this is a fruit and its white in the inside and its shared with the people that live around the brides family or in her village. (Everything took place In the country side) 

 Soup

Gift bag full of goodies (they say I love you on the sides)

 Country side, there are lots and lots of rice plants.