From Grits to Chopsticks

In our last post, we talked about the wedding we attended in a nearby town.  Here are a few photos of the festivities.  The “receiving line” at a typical Chinese wedding happens at the beginning when the bride and groom welcome guests at the door of the hotel or restaurant:

As guests arrive, they are given candy (our friends did not hand out the usual gift of cigarettes).  They also bring a wedding gift of “hongbao” – a red envelope containing money.  Susan helped with the giving and receiving process:

The guests don’t spend a lot of time deciding what to wear to the event.  Especially in the countryside, it’s just a “come as you are” affair:

Even the mother of the groom doesn’t spend a lot of time shopping for a new dress.  Here is a photo of her (on the right) with her two sisters:

While waiting for the wedding to begin, people gathered in the hotel lobby to smoke and eat sunflower seeds.  The floor was quite covered with shells by the time that we went into the ceremony:

Unlike a typical Chinese wedding, this one began with a message.  I had the privilege of officiating:

After the ceremony, the feasting began.  How would you like some fish with your peppers?

These guests were ready to eat when the food arrived:

Plenty to eat for everyone, a simple reminder of a bigger wedding feast to come (see Revelation 19):