The Art of Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony

On the wedding day, the bride and groom serve tea to their parents. They do this out of respect and to thank their parents for raising them.
Traditionally, afterward, the newlyweds serve tea, inviting the groom’s elders to drink tea by addressing them by formal title, e.g. first uncle or third aunt.
The newlyweds serve tea in order, starting with the groom’s parents then proceeding from the oldest family members to the youngest, e.g. the groom’s parents, then his paternal grandparents, then his maternal grandparents, then his oldest uncles and aunts, and all the way to his older brother.
In return, the newlyweds receive lucky red envelopes (“lai see,” which means “lucky”) stuffed with money or jewelry... or in our case, any color of envelope is acceptable!

Serving tea to Groom's Mother:

Serving tea to Bride's Mother:

(Beautiful ring for the groom from Bride's mother)

Serving tea to the Groom's uncle from Jakarta:

Serving tea to the Bride's Aunt from Hongkong:

(big grin for the beautiful bracelet my Aunt gave!)

Serving tea to the Bride's hostparents from New York:

Serving tea to Bride's cousins from Surabaya:

Last but not least, the Bride's cousin from Hongkong: