Tea ceremony set: a wedding guide

At Chinese and Vietnamese weddings, the couple serve tea. They pour it for their elders.

When couples book this

About 4 months before your wedding.

Answer these before you meet anyone.

How would you like to come by the tea set?
With a family set, custody, not cost, is what needs planning.
Which tea would you love to serve?
Sweet teas carry the symbolism in a Chinese service; a Vietnamese one pours lotus, jasmine or green tea, and in the south a cup of wine often stands in for it.
Where would you like to hold the tea ceremony?

Where does the tea set come from?
Many couples serve from the same set a parent or grandparent was served with. Custody, not cost, is what needs planning.
Which tea is served?
In a Chinese service the sweet teas carry the symbolism — red dates, longan, and lotus seeds for a sweet marriage and children; a Vietnamese service pours lotus, jasmine or green tea, and in the south a cup of wine often stands in for it. A family recipe outranks any list.
Kneeling cushions and props

Usually priced as one flat amount.

Possible extras: Set rental, Tea & ingredients, Tea ceremony attendant.

How many elders are served?
The count sizes the segment and the cup rotation — big families need a rinse-and-refill rhythm.
Where is the tea ceremony held?
Who gathers the red envelopes and jewelry?
Elders answer the tea with red envelopes and often gold jewelry; name who gathers them.

Correct these details as needed.

Serving order
Order is meaningful and personal. Each elder is addressed by the title the marriage gives them, and a Cantonese family and a Mandarin one use different words — check each title with the family before the day.

Confirm arrival, finish, who to call, access, a meal, and what is due.

Choose which moments to include.

The brief a couple sends you has these sections: