Village ties link modern couple at their wedding

The bride's aunt ties an apron on the groom and washes his feet.

Chongming-style wedding

Unlike newlyweds in the city of Shanghai, who usually hold their wedding in a hotel, Chongming people maintain the tradition of holding a wedding at home that lasts for three days. There are several traditions that must be adhered to.

The house needs to be decorated before the wedding. Big colorful flags are placed from the south entrance of the village to the house. Red lanterns are hung in all balconies and red couplets, blessings for a happy marriage, are stuck on all the doors of each house.

Each family in the village will have a male representative join a dinner at the wedding house the night before the celebration.

The wedding reception begins before noon and people from the village flock in. They sit at the traditional square tables, which hold eight people each. A professional chef is invited to cook. There are usually around 25 dishes for each table and the plates pile up high.

If both the groom and the bride are Chongming locals, they will select a lucky time for picking up the bride from her parent's home and taking her to the groom's home. This time might be 3:28 pm or 3:58 pm. The number 4 is avoided.