Fetch the bride on Chinese wedding

“Fetch the bride” is an important step on a Chinese wedding, the process is groom departure, gate crash (door blocking games), tea ceremony, wedding couple arrival, and photo shooting in the bridal chamber. Timing of departure and arrival is very important, usually, the minute should end with 8.

Date time: 2017/4/8
Location: Myfine hotel
Groom departure: Rui’s parents’ apartment
Bride arrival: Rui’s parents’ apartment

1 – 7:58
出发
The departure
新郎伴郎以及亲人
The groom and his best men

他们打扮好从家里出门到酒店去，新郎骑马，其他人走路, 并伴有花轿, 他们同时还携带者一个红包袱以及其他礼物。

They get ready and depart（the groom on a horse, other people carry an empty sedan） from the apartment towards the hotel (Myfine) in order to pick up the bride.
They bring a red package and other gifts.
花轿和马是古时候隆重场合的交通方式
The horse and Chinese sedan are important means of transportation in traditional Chinese important occasions.

2 – 8:28
到达
The arrival
新郎伴郎以及新郎亲人
They arrive at the hotel

他们到达酒店楼下后通知伴娘们，一个伴娘下楼领取红包袱，红包袱里面装有4件东西：敬酒服，红腰带，婚鞋，梳子
When they arrive at the entrance of the hotel, they inform the bridesmaids. One of the bridesmaids goes downstairs and fetch the red package, it contains:

The red dress for wine toasting, a red belt, and the wedding shoes.

3 第一次交锋
The first handshake
伴娘
The bridesmaid

她领到红包袱后上楼把鞋子藏好
She takes the red package upstairs and hides the shoes.
Finding the shoes is one of the challenges for the groom 

4 堵门游戏
The gate crash
新郎伴郎vs伴娘以及娘家人
The groom with his friends vs the bridesmaids and friends of the bride

著名的堵门游戏！这里有很多给新郎的挑战包括最后找鞋子。
The famous gate crash!
There are lots of challenges for the groom before he can take the bride away. To challenge the groom so that he cherishes the bride more in the future.

堵门游戏会在另外一篇帖子中细写。
The challenges of the wedding will be published in another post.

5 新郎家的礼物 The gift from the groom
新郎的弟弟
The cousin of the groom

新郎的弟弟会送上2只金猪给娘家人，里面分别装着红包，大金猪给娘家父母，小金猪返还给弟弟作为礼物。
The cousin of the groom presents 2 golden pigs, there is a red money bag under both the two pigs. The big one is a gift for the bride’s family, the small one is given to the brother as a gift.
古时候在淮南，新郎家会送真的一只猪给娘家人作为礼物。
In the old days in Huainan, the groom will give one/half a real pig to the families of the bride as a gift.

6 最后的挑战
The final challenge
新郎 The groom
新郎到卧室以后，会有以下事情：
找鞋
After the groom enters the bedroom, the following things will happen:
The groom looks for the shoes and puts them on for the bride;

7 改口茶 The tea ceremony
新郎 The groom
改口茶 Perform the tea ceremony
他从此也叫他们爸爸妈妈。
He addresses them also as parents.

8 分家饭 The splitting
娘家人 The bride’s family
新娘妈妈会用红糖煮好荷包蛋，在新娘出门前喂一口，姐姐也吃一口。
The bride’s mom prepares the egg boiled in red sugar, she will feed the bride and her sister.
意味着从此分家了。
This means the bride from now on no longer belongs to the family.
新娘姐姐给梳头并嘱咐
The sister of the bride combs the hair for the bride and says some words to wish her luck.

9 出门 The exiting
The bride 新娘

出门通常是新娘的弟弟或哥哥背着出门，如果没有弟弟或哥哥的话就穿着爸爸的鞋子出门。
Exit the hotel
Usually, the bride would be carried by her brother to the sedan, if she does not have a brother, she can wear the shoes of her dad.

10 出发在路上 On the way home
新郎新娘以及其他亲人朋友（除了娘家人）
The bride, groom, and others (except for families of the bride)
所有人（除了娘家人）都会陪同新郎新娘一起去婆家，新娘会走在红伞下面。
Everyone（except for the parents of the bride） will now return to the apartment, the bride will walk under a red umbrella, before she enters the sedan she changes the shoes.

红伞为新娘遮风挡雨免受邪气干扰。
The red umbrella would act as a shelter in order to avoid evil spirits on the bride.

12 到达 The arrival
新娘 The bride
新娘在喜娘的陪同下下轿，下轿前将手中包着硬币和糖的手帕往天空一抛。
The bride comes out of the sedan with the help of the bridesmaid, before she exits, she throws a handkerchief in which wraps coins and candies to the sky.

抛洒硬币和糖是为了分散别人注意力，这样新娘就不会受别人干扰了。（有的地方会让新娘往地上洒米，这样地上的鸡就不会啄新娘了）
The reason why the bride throws the coins and candies in the sky is to distract others so that they do not tease the bride when she arrives.

13 Entrance 进门
新郎新娘 The groom, bride

新郎背着新娘进门，伴随着新娘进门的东西还有：子孙桶，红箱子和台灯。
The groom carries the bride on his back and they enter the apartment. There are 3 things following them which is considered as ‘stuff from the bride’:
A lamp, red luggage, and a lucky bucket
台灯会在结婚当晚一直照明，是为了驱赶邪恶之气。
The lamp would be lightened for the whole night to chase away the evil spirit.

14 红糖水 The brown sugar soup
婆婆 The other mom

婆婆早就在家门口等着新郎和新娘了，新娘进家门以后婆婆会喂新娘红糖水。
The mom of the groom has waited for a while at the door, as soon as the bride arrives, she feeds her with some red sugar soup.
喝红糖水象征着夫妻从此以后日子红红火火，甜甜蜜蜜。
The red sugar soup means the wishes for the couple “From now on, lead a life which is prosperous/ flourishing and sweet.”

15 进新房 Enter the bridal chamber
丈夫掀开盖头
The groom unveils the bride.