Anyways, my mum and I swung by down to Chinatown on Wednesday cos we happened to be free. It turned out to be quite an eventful one, at least for me. Cos i have no idea what all these customary stuff are supposed to symbolise and why are they so important.
My mum wanted to show me the Chinese Customary Wedding Stuff shops that she went to previously. Most of the shopowners were really friendly and willing to explain why certain things are required, except one. *angry I'm so sure, i will not patronise that shop, no matter how low the prices are (actually around the same as other shops). Anyway, the friendliness of the other shop-owners cheered me up alot and were very helpful even though we didnt purchase anything from them.
First shop
The super friendly and cheerful shop-owner, Frankie. (his real name, not one i madeup ok)
His shop is packed fulled of wedding stuff. This is also where I got the most details of why we need certain things.
Stickers/Cut Papers to stick stick stick everywhere for that Wedding Ambience.
Stick them on the doors, windows, mirrors, orange, tables, chairs, lights, walls, ceilings etc. wherever you want. Usually between $1-3, depending on the size. Here's my mummy, happily choosing the stickers.
Wedding Lamps, for "An Chuang"- set the bed.
Done by the brides' side.
Lamps - sounds like having children in hokkien. (Tian Ding or smth like that, my hokkien not very zai ok)
Seeds/fruits to scatter on the bed during the AnChuang. Don't need to think why you need it lah, cos no one is supposed to slp on the bed after being set by the bride/good-life woman (hao ming ren). Needless to say, who will want to slp while rolling around on a bed scattered with nuts.
Frankie's prepackaged "An Chuang" Set for lazy and "don't have a clue what to buy" brides like yours truely. Quite affordable at $66.80.
Apparently, we're also supposed to get real-sized clogs as it is expected of the daughter-in-law to go to the market to run errands/buy groceries, so they are functional to that extent. However, modern people have converted them to those cute little mini-ones, usually with cartoon pictures on them.
This tea-set is so old school! I love it, and the peony flowers are really nice too~
Price is on the set for your reference too~ haha
GuoDaLi Baskets
Available for rental/buying from the grooms, to bring over all your wines, dragon-pheonix candles, oranges, and dunno what else.
So big, can fit anything inside. You can rent it for a week for $18. Deposit $88, and get $68 on return.
The really traditional dragon-pheonix candles.
Red mesh bag to wrap up the 2 big bottles of Fanta Orange (old school again~ =] ) I asked Frankie why particularly orange. He says its just an auspicious colour and it used to be a luxury drink in the past. M thinks that the bride side zhuan dao, because the groom side is supposed to give alcohol, while we return Fanta Orange.
wei, luxury drink ok. Drink liao very happy one. (sounds like alcohol)
He even sells old-school makeup! the packaging is so cool!
My mum says its like the 2 way cake at that time~
Matching dessert bowls and spoons for bride and groom on the day.
Paid for the stickers (abit paiseh cos only bought so little but ask so many questions =P) and left for the second shop.
Second shop (the upsetting one)
Quite a good display of all the products, but both owners ignoring my mum.
At this point in time, the uncle turned around and asked.
"Yao zhao shen mo?!"
"What are you looking for?"
My mum turned and asked him what are the prices of the teasets on display.
He stated their individual prices and mum went on comparing which designs are nicer.
"Ni yao mai nai yi ge?"
"Which set do you want to buy?"
I replied, "Wo men kan kan er yi, den yi xia hai yao chu qu, hen nai na."
"We're just browsing. We're still going elsewhere, very heavy to carry around if we were to buy now."
To which he turned away immediately. We continued looking around the shop till the lady boss turned and asked if she could help us. We asked her some questions on what some of the stuff used for and the uncle boss shouted to her.
"Kan Kan Er Yi!"
Clearly that is no way you should be doing business, a red business nonetheless. Even if we were just browsing, maintaining a good service ensures return business. Which in this case, ensures the opposite.
My mum raised her eyebrows and we ignored them.
Picture of uncle turning around just before he scolded.
"Xiaojie, pai dao hen shuang hor. Bu ke yi luan luan pai!" and kept staring at me for the next 10 min like a hawk.
Yes, maybe I should have asked for permission to take the photos first, but I felt that it was too much. So we left~
Shop number tigga
This shop was one that is the nicest and most modern. It has a online website, catalog, in English, translated for dumdums like M. They even packaged everything up nicely and offers free delivery to your desired location. Perfect for the modern-age, net-savvy couples who are too lazy to walk through Chinatown. They've got some rather chic teasets which my mum feel in love with. I totally dig their vintage umbrellas. Really nice, but no pictures. Think you can find them online. The guy in the shop was most helpful, service is the best of all the shops. But of course, slightly pricier than the rest.
Mummy likes this.
Then she spotted a wooden little box stacked up in the corner of the shop and fished it out.
Looks like a MaMa pig with a trail of piglets. But looks more like something else to me. Haha..
Last set in the store already, and both of us think it looks cute. So if anyone's interested will have to grab it fast.
Along the way to the 4th shop, mummy and I passed by a qipao tailoring shop which had the type of qibao that I think Christine have in mind.
My mum kept saying that those cotton ones look like smth that the Laoshi will wear in the past.
But its the nice cottony feel to them which makes them unique.
Lovely peacock blue qibao!! My mummy looking very happy cos she spotted one very nice design, which she wore to try out.
Mummy looking pretty in the qibao. Too big for her, she lost quite abit of weight recently so when she tried on the second smaller piece it looked even nicer on her.
Fourth Shop
Inside this shop was an old man who smiled at us the moment we stepped in. He was very experienced and told us that in the past, people used those black and red baskets instead of full red ones. Nowadays, just buy the small ones will do. He also agreed that it is troublesome to rent, since you have to travel all the way back just to return the huge basket. So remember, black and red is the traditional one. The ones that are hanging on the ceiling in his shop.
(uncle forgot to take out his green sticker, hahah he's not having a fever!! so cute.)
As you can see, i'm getting rather lazy to write more as this goes on. Hahah till the next post~
My mum wanted to show me the Chinese Customary Wedding Stuff shops that she went to previously. Most of the shopowners were really friendly and willing to explain why certain things are required, except one. *angry I'm so sure, i will not patronise that shop, no matter how low the prices are (actually around the same as other shops). Anyway, the friendliness of the other shop-owners cheered me up alot and were very helpful even though we didnt purchase anything from them.
First shop
The super friendly and cheerful shop-owner, Frankie. (his real name, not one i madeup ok)
His shop is packed fulled of wedding stuff. This is also where I got the most details of why we need certain things.
Stickers/Cut Papers to stick stick stick everywhere for that Wedding Ambience.
Stick them on the doors, windows, mirrors, orange, tables, chairs, lights, walls, ceilings etc. wherever you want. Usually between $1-3, depending on the size. Here's my mummy, happily choosing the stickers.
Wedding Lamps, for "An Chuang"- set the bed.
Done by the brides' side.
Lamps - sounds like having children in hokkien. (Tian Ding or smth like that, my hokkien not very zai ok)
Seeds/fruits to scatter on the bed during the AnChuang. Don't need to think why you need it lah, cos no one is supposed to slp on the bed after being set by the bride/good-life woman (hao ming ren). Needless to say, who will want to slp while rolling around on a bed scattered with nuts.
Frankie's prepackaged "An Chuang" Set for lazy and "don't have a clue what to buy" brides like yours truely. Quite affordable at $66.80.
Apparently, we're also supposed to get real-sized clogs as it is expected of the daughter-in-law to go to the market to run errands/buy groceries, so they are functional to that extent. However, modern people have converted them to those cute little mini-ones, usually with cartoon pictures on them.
This tea-set is so old school! I love it, and the peony flowers are really nice too~
Price is on the set for your reference too~ haha
GuoDaLi Baskets
Available for rental/buying from the grooms, to bring over all your wines, dragon-pheonix candles, oranges, and dunno what else.
So big, can fit anything inside. You can rent it for a week for $18. Deposit $88, and get $68 on return.
The really traditional dragon-pheonix candles.
Red mesh bag to wrap up the 2 big bottles of Fanta Orange (old school again~ =] ) I asked Frankie why particularly orange. He says its just an auspicious colour and it used to be a luxury drink in the past. M thinks that the bride side zhuan dao, because the groom side is supposed to give alcohol, while we return Fanta Orange.
wei, luxury drink ok. Drink liao very happy one. (sounds like alcohol)
He even sells old-school makeup! the packaging is so cool!
My mum says its like the 2 way cake at that time~
Matching dessert bowls and spoons for bride and groom on the day.
Paid for the stickers (abit paiseh cos only bought so little but ask so many questions =P) and left for the second shop.
Second shop (the upsetting one)
Quite a good display of all the products, but both owners ignoring my mum.
At this point in time, the uncle turned around and asked.
"Yao zhao shen mo?!"
"What are you looking for?"
My mum turned and asked him what are the prices of the teasets on display.
He stated their individual prices and mum went on comparing which designs are nicer.
"Ni yao mai nai yi ge?"
"Which set do you want to buy?"
I replied, "Wo men kan kan er yi, den yi xia hai yao chu qu, hen nai na."
"We're just browsing. We're still going elsewhere, very heavy to carry around if we were to buy now."
To which he turned away immediately. We continued looking around the shop till the lady boss turned and asked if she could help us. We asked her some questions on what some of the stuff used for and the uncle boss shouted to her.
"Kan Kan Er Yi!"
Clearly that is no way you should be doing business, a red business nonetheless. Even if we were just browsing, maintaining a good service ensures return business. Which in this case, ensures the opposite.
My mum raised her eyebrows and we ignored them.
Picture of uncle turning around just before he scolded.
"Xiaojie, pai dao hen shuang hor. Bu ke yi luan luan pai!" and kept staring at me for the next 10 min like a hawk.
Yes, maybe I should have asked for permission to take the photos first, but I felt that it was too much. So we left~
Shop number tigga
This shop was one that is the nicest and most modern. It has a online website, catalog, in English, translated for dumdums like M. They even packaged everything up nicely and offers free delivery to your desired location. Perfect for the modern-age, net-savvy couples who are too lazy to walk through Chinatown. They've got some rather chic teasets which my mum feel in love with. I totally dig their vintage umbrellas. Really nice, but no pictures. Think you can find them online. The guy in the shop was most helpful, service is the best of all the shops. But of course, slightly pricier than the rest.
Mummy likes this.
Then she spotted a wooden little box stacked up in the corner of the shop and fished it out.
Looks like a MaMa pig with a trail of piglets. But looks more like something else to me. Haha..
Last set in the store already, and both of us think it looks cute. So if anyone's interested will have to grab it fast.
Along the way to the 4th shop, mummy and I passed by a qipao tailoring shop which had the type of qibao that I think Christine have in mind.
My mum kept saying that those cotton ones look like smth that the Laoshi will wear in the past.
But its the nice cottony feel to them which makes them unique.
Lovely peacock blue qibao!! My mummy looking very happy cos she spotted one very nice design, which she wore to try out.
Mummy looking pretty in the qibao. Too big for her, she lost quite abit of weight recently so when she tried on the second smaller piece it looked even nicer on her.
Fourth Shop
Inside this shop was an old man who smiled at us the moment we stepped in. He was very experienced and told us that in the past, people used those black and red baskets instead of full red ones. Nowadays, just buy the small ones will do. He also agreed that it is troublesome to rent, since you have to travel all the way back just to return the huge basket. So remember, black and red is the traditional one. The ones that are hanging on the ceiling in his shop.
(uncle forgot to take out his green sticker, hahah he's not having a fever!! so cute.)
As you can see, i'm getting rather lazy to write more as this goes on. Hahah till the next post~
For elegance, some pearl earrings
Grand Finale Pic
Of cos for the body wash, I use one fo acne one for my back specially.
Now, Actually for brides, i aren't sure whether the hair is silky smooth is important because the hard true is that, once the make up artist start spraying hair sprays on your hair, nobody really knows much about ur hair texture. It is more of the hair length which the make up artist will have interest in as it determines the type of hair style they will do for you.
Princess Christine's Mask
Shoes collar.
7) Silver pants
