VIETNAMESE TRADITIONS

The Wedding day and hour is chosen in advance by a
forecaster who selects a fortuitous day based on the Groom
and Bride's birthdays. At the predetermined hour, the Groom
and his family arrive in a procession of cars to the home of
the parents of the Bride. The groomsmen approach the
house first hearing trays of gifts wrapped in red cloth.
The bridesmaids accept the trays at the front door.

Once inside, the Groom's family invites the Bride's parents to
take a sip of wine presented on a traditional wine tray.
The parents of the Groom introduce themselves and ask
permission for their son to marry the Bride. Escorted by
her parents, the Bride then arrives to the ceremony in a
traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai.

The Wedding ceremony begins in front of the family
ancestral altar when the parents of the Bride ask their
ancestors' permission for their daughter to be married. The
Bride and Groom then pay their respects to the Bride's
ancestors and to the parents of the Bride, to thank them for
raising and protecting the Bride since birth. The Bride and
Groom exchange wedding rings. The Groom's family
presents the Bride with a pair of earrings to welcome her
as a permanent member of family.

At this point, the Groom is officially a member of the Bride's
family. Now the two families are introduced to one another
to acknowledge the new link between them that exists
through their children's union. The Bride and Groom then
offers toasts to the elders of the Bride's family and in turn
receive blessings and gifts from the elders.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the trays and a portion of
the gifts brought by the Groom's family are returned for
everyone to share in the joyousness of the occasion. Typically
the Bride and her family then travel with the Groom and his
family to their home where the ceremony would be repeated
to acknowledge the ancestors of the Groom's family.

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