How many dress changes for the banquet??
Posted on February 28, 2008 in the General Wedding Plans, Chinese Wedding Traditions category
I’m in abit of a dilemma now as I have 4 dresses for my wedding but I don’t know if I should get another dress. So far I have 1 white wedding dress which will be worn at the start fo rthe ceremony and cutting of the wedding cake. I will then change into my 2nd outfit which was bought by Dave’s mom from Hong Kong, its a red embroidered chinese jacket with a netted skirt. I’m not too sure about the skirt as its really not my style and the jacket is quite ‘chinese opera’ like with the high collar but if my soon to be mother in law bought it for me I should wear it right?? Well I told Dave that I would wear the jacket but with a plain red dress underneath so that I wouldn’t have to wear the netted skirt. Anyway that will be worn for the tea ceremony and because I want to wear it for the shortest time possible I will get changed into my 3rd outfit for the banquet which is a very tight fitting pink dress. I will stay in this outfit for the food but when the time comes to go round to the tables I will get changed into a red cheongsam.
This is where the dilemma starts, should I wear the cheongsam for the rest of the night as in for the pictures and to see the guests off. Or should I buy another evening dress to wear to go round to the tables and for the pictures, then I could wear the cheongsam to say goodbye to the guests. I don’t know what to do. I really like the cheongsam and I would like to have more pictures taken wearing it so is there any point in just buying an evening dress just to go round to the tables??
Any suggestions would be helpful. Dave thinks I should just stick to what I’ve already got but you’re only a bride once in your life so I want to make the most of it, plus I think people are expecting me to have alot of dress changes so I wouldn’t want to let them down now would I?? lol
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16 Responses to “How many dress changes for the banquet??”
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Hi Sally,
I truly believe, you should keep things simple, as “less is more” …. you know what they say in advertising.
Besides, you say that you learnt a a few things at your sister’s wedding
[…Like having less dress changes for the bride…]
Not to mention that you are satisfyed with the dresses you already have. Why bother to find another dress when you could spear yourself some money, the research and all the additional stress.
Best wishes …
Hi Sally, Im also organising my chinese wedding for July 2008 and delighted to see someone going thru the same decisions and dilema’s as me. I also have 4 dresses - the white dress for the ceremony, the kwa for the tea ceremony and formal pics, the evening dress for going round the tables and I was thinking of re-wearing my white wedding gown for the chinese games and then finally cheongsam for the goodbyes.
I think you shouldn’t worry too much about having another dress change because you’ll be getting changed more than enjoying your own wedding. Plus you will probably have another outfit for the afterparty anyways. Hope this helps. Good luck with the rest of the final arrangments.
Yes, I think that most people will be looking out to see what you wear next! But it depends on how many outfit changes you can fit in - you don’t want to be in the changing room most of the night! And if you’re changing any jewellery - will be time consuming too - this is where your bridesmaids come in! Are you doing anything in the evening ie after the chinese banquet? You could wear a more glam evening dress then…
I’m actually going to HK next week to get some dresses made - I have no idea what I want yet! But my sis who got married last year just went to the dressmakers and picked out some really stunning dresses. She wore the red kwa in the morning when the guys came to pick her up and the tea ceremonies, then went to the venue place where she changed into her white wedding dress. At night, she changed into an evening dress. But since her wedding was split into 2 days, the chinese banquet on the next day, she wore her red cheongsam during the meal, then changed into another cheongsam to go around the tables plus cake cutting. You could actually get away with another dress just for going around the tables
i think you should get a new outfit for each course of the banquet, you’ll be really busy getting changed for each new course and I can eat all your food!!
there’s about 10 courses btw for people who don’t know.
actually come to think of it, thats a really back idea, 10 more dresses would cost me alot. hmmmm, maybe you should just make the best of the ones you have?
If you really want to get an evening dress then you should get one =p
Hiya Sally
As you say, you’re only a bride once..I think being persnickety in this case can be justified.
If you do your prep and not minding to raise your metabolism during the frequent dress change, I’ll say go for it..browse around for 1 more dress..however, if you are struggling for time in between the toasting and thereafter, as flashing cameras are in a busy mode..you may need to serve the purpose and do with what you have got already..
I agree wearing the cheongsam to see guests off will complete the presentation beautifully
Thanks for this lovely page you’ve shared with us, it has been an absolute delightful & humorsome read.
I Wish you both a fantastic day, and Happily Merrily ever after..
Kim
Hi Sally,
Wear the outfit that your future mother in-law give you at the tea ceremony because tea ceremony only an hour long. I suggest you should wear the rest cheongsam at the banquet and go round the tables. After that you can we your pink dress. In this way you can have extra money for your honeymoon. Keep it simple. Less is always better… I have only three dress for my up coming wedding. Wedding gown I will worn at the church. I will stay in my wedding gown for the food. Cheongsam at the tea ceremony and round the tables. Blue dress after that. I really want to cut wedding cake with my wedding gown but I don’t know how it works. Can I cut the cake before the food start?
Hey - I had 4 dresses and I wore my wedding dress twice. 4 dresses was just right because I wasnt rushing around and ate the whole meal and even had time to enjoy the champayne. x
Wow so many comments, I can’t reply to you all individually but I’m very grateful for all your advice. I am still in 2 minds about getting another evening dress but Dave has said I should as I keep bringing up the topic and I think he just wants me to shut up plus he did say if I change my mind after I’ve bought the dress then I can always wear it to another occasion.
I’m still a little confused as to what other brides wear when they are sat down for the banquet. Any help here???
I wore my evening dress and then the white cheong sam during meal! Only wore cheong sam for a bit for dinner as I had to say good bye to guests.
Hi Sally
At my Notts wedding i had 4 dress changes aswell. I wore white wedding dress at the start, changed to kwa at the restaurant for tea ceremony(rays side) and wore that to eat some food…the kwa is quite loose which was comfortable for me to eat something coz i didnt want to sit down to eat in something tight, then changed into quipao for going round tables and lastly evening gown to see guests out and play some games.
I thought 4 dress changes was abit too much coz i had to keep getting up and going to get changed and everytime i would spend abit of time in the changing room coz had to re-do hair and make up with each dress. Guests would also want to see you in each dress more so they can admire your dresses. As for my Bham banquet… you know what dresses i wore, i only had 3 dress changes there and enjoyed it alot more as i had time to chat to my friends and family and it was more relaxed than rushing to get changed all the time.
Hi Sally,
WOW 4 dress changes!! I’m planning 3 for mine, for my sister-in-law she had 4 dress changes and feedback from some of the guests was no good as she didn’t end up getting around to see them much as she kept dashing off the get changed. I think keep it simple.
Nancy
i think the comments from Vanessa should be listened to. less dress changes=more time to chat and enjoy the wedding.
I love the idea of changing.
But…when I went through with it for my own wedding, I found that I spent a lot of time running to change. Also, I spent enough money on a few and
was dissapointed to change out of what I really liked. I agree with the previous post.
Hi Sally!
Wowee…7 days left until Wedding! Mine will be July 5, 2008. I’m thinking more and more that I only want my white dress and my kaipao. Since I paid so much for my white dress I want to wear it more. I had asked my friend, who’s in Asia for 2 months to help me find an evening dress while she’s there…but if she doesn’t I think I’ll be fine with my 2 dresses. Is there a significance meaning to how many dresses a Brides changes into or just a status thing you think? I have no idea. But I want to enjoy my night.
I would stick to your 4 dresses
Cheers,
Rosita
Nice website, I like the wedding pictures very much. You must have spend a fortune on your wedding!