What Does The Groom Wear In China?

The groom wears a traditional Chinese suit, known as a Changshan or Zhongshan suit, which is often black or dark blue and features a mandarin collar. It is paired with loose-fitting pants and a long robe-like jacket. The groom’s attire signifies his dignity, responsibility, and respect for tradition. The Chang Pao Ma Gua (长袍马褂) is the pinnacle of traditional Chinese groom wear, a sophisticated ensemble that pairs the Chang Pao (长袍)—a long robe—with the Magua (马褂) Changpao (长袍).

The groom’s attire in a traditional Chinese wedding is just as important as the bride’s dress. The Qun Kua (裙褂), also known as Dragon and Phoenix Gua (Long Feng Gua, 龙凤褂), is a two-piece outfit consisting of a long, loose-fitting jacket and a long skirt. The Qun Kwa is richly embroidered with intricate designs and embellishments, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

In South China, brides wear qipaos, while grooms can wear a traditional red wedding dress. In PRC, the bride must wear new shoes, and the groom’s family may try to prevent the bride from meeting the groom.

The groom’s attire for a Chinese wedding typically includes a Tang Suit, a Tang Jacket, Brocade Tie or Bowtie, and a Mandarin Collar Jacket. Modern pieces have more color options, and modern pieces are typically red, symbolizing joy and happiness.

During the tea ceremony, the groom wears cheongsams (qipaos) with their mandarin collar, pankou knots, and matching red jacket and pants. If they wear both hanfu and Chinese wedding attire, they will wear the hanfu for the ceremony.


📹 Finding the PERFECT Qipao for Helen’s Wedding!

With Helen’s upcoming wedding and Lunar New Year just around the corner, qipaos have been at the top of our minds.


What does the groom wear in china male
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How do you dress like a groom?

Spring. Formal wear might seem stuffy in warm weather, but Detwiler says it’s all about the fabric. Black tie is great in breathable materials, and cocktail attire is good for less formal events. “A navy blue or light grey suit would look great,” says Ramos. Color is important too. “Think about what the bride is wearing,” says Detwiler. Lighter colors work well for spring, but a black or navy tuxedo is always appropriate. Go black or navy. Accessorize with a pocket square. Have a handkerchief ready. Tip: Have a backup shirt on hand.

Summer. Like spring, summer is a time to wear lighter colors in breathable fabrics, but black and white tie is still an option. “If you’re going for formal black tie, wear an ivory dinner jacket—it’s my favorite summer wedding look,” Ramos says. “Cocktail attire is also a great choice.” For destination or beach weddings, Detwiler suggests warm-weather fabrics like linen for more texture and comfort.

Chinese groom outfit
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What does a groom wear to a tea ceremony?

The bride wears a red cheongsam (qipao) dress with a mandarin collar. You can also wear a qun kwa, a traditional Chinese wedding dress. The groom will wear a tux or suit to match or a traditional brocade jacket. You’re planning a tea ceremony for your wedding but don’t know where to start. We’re here to help! Here’s a guide to help you run a Chinese wedding tea ceremony. The tea ceremony is a big part of the wedding. The bride and groom serve tea to their parents, in-laws, and elders to show respect and gratitude. Their families will give them money in red envelopes. A Chinese wedding tea ceremony is a great way to celebrate your Chinese culture at your wedding!

If you’re following tradition, the groom’s family is served tea first, then the bride’s. You can also alternate families between rounds. The groom serves tea first, then the bride. Then the rest of the family is served. After each serving, the couple gets a red envelope.

Traditional chinese wedding dress for bride
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What do Chinese grooms wear?

The Chang Pao Ma Gua is the traditional Chinese wedding suit for the groom. The Chang Pao is the long robe worn inside, and the Ma Gua is the outer jacket. Men often wore this combination for formal occasions in the past. The Chang Pao can be plain or decorated with patterns like dragons, auspicious clouds, the Chinese word Fu, and others. The Ma Guas are usually black, red, or gold. You can also use different colors on the Chang Pao and Ma Gua.

Featured Pieces: Over 50 unique pieces in a range of sizes.

Chinese wedding groom
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What is the dress code for a groom?

Black tie. Black tie and white tie are different levels of formality. Black tie is formal, and grooms wear tuxedos to their wedding. This dress code lets you be creative with fabric and color. Grooms can choose textured tuxedos in other colors, like midnight blue. For accessories, a bow tie should be worn, even though long ties are becoming acceptable. If grooms wear a bow tie, they should tie it themselves.

Black Tie Optional. Black tie optional is still formal. Wear dark suits like navy or charcoal gray. Grooms can wear a white shirt with a matching tie for a classic look. Grooms can match their tie and pocket square to the wedding color scheme. Read more about the black tie optional dress code here.

Semi-formal. A non-traditional suit is a good choice for a semi-formal wedding. The season also affects what grooms wear. For spring and summer weddings, wear lighter fabrics like linen or madras. For fall and winter weddings, velvet or flannel are good fabrics for suits. The semi-formal dress code lets grooms be more playful with their suit, so patterned jackets are good.

Chang pao ma gua
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What does the groom wear to a Chinese wedding?

The Chang Pao Ma Gua is the traditional Chinese wedding suit for the groom. The Chang Pao is the long robe worn inside, and the Ma Gua is the outer jacket. Men often wore this combination for formal occasions in the past. The Chang Pao can be plain or decorated with patterns like dragons, auspicious clouds, the Chinese word Fu, and others. The Ma Guas are usually black, red, or gold. You can also use different colors on the Chang Pao and Ma Gua.

Featured Pieces: Over 50 unique pieces in a range of sizes.

Where does the groom get dressed?

The groom should get ready in a well-lit room with space to move. The room should be big enough for him and his wedding party to get ready. You need to be able to hang clothes and toast. The groom and groomsmen can get ready at home or in a hotel room. At Geoff Wilkings Photography, I suggest a well-lit hotel room for the groom at the same hotel as the bride. This helps use the wedding day timeline well. How long for the groom’s getting ready photos? 45 minutes for the groom and groomsmen wedding photos. A creative photographer would allow 60 minutes for bathroom photos and off-camera flash photography. A new photographer would allow 20 minutes.

Chinese tea ceremony outfit
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What do grooms wear abroad?

Pair a light-colored linen suit with a light shirt for a laid-back look. You can wear a linen shirt with your linen suit and add a pocket square or tie for visual interest.

Going formal. If you’re going to a sunny place but you have to wear black tie, you don’t have to wear black. Instead, wear a lighter, summery dinner jacket like this gray one. Wear it with a dress shirt, bow tie, and tuxedo trousers for a formal look.

If you’ve chosen a fancy location like a Tuscan villa or a hotel on the coast of Spain, match the formality and go with an Italian suit. Made with the best Italian fabrics, this suit is perfect for the special day.

Tang suit wedding
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Do men wear wedding rings in China?

Asian Cultures. In Asian cultures, engagement and wedding rings are less common than in the West. Men don’t wear wedding rings, and women started wearing them recently. Asian cultures borrowed the idea of wedding rings from Western cultures.

In Chinese culture, there were no engagement rings at all. Now, women expect a special diamond ring.

The Japanese also used to wear a wedding ring on their left hand because they believe a vein leads to the heart through the left hand. Most Japanese people don’t have a favorite hand for a ring. Most Japanese rings are made of white gold or platinum, and lab-grown diamonds are very popular.

Ma gua wedding
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Does the groom wear a tie?

What are the wedding party wearing? Your groomsmen should coordinate their ties or bow ties. If you’re not wearing matching tuxedos or suits, you should still be on the same page about neckwear. It looks odd if some groomsmen wear casual ties and others wear formal ones. The rule doesn’t apply in this case. The groom can wear a bow tie, but the groomsmen should wear ties. The groom should stand out. The ring bearer can also wear something different, like a bow tie in the same color as the groomsmen’s ties.

Bow ties and ties. Color, texture, fabric, and patterns make neckwear unique. Do you want your neckwear to be neutral or colorful? Satin or silk bow tie? There are many different tie styles and designs. Here are some popular options: Bow ties. Self-tie. A self-tie bow tie is one you tie yourself. If you’ve never tied a bow tie, practice before your wedding so you can nail the look. It can be hard at first.

Do Chinese weddings have groomsmen?
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Do Chinese weddings have groomsmen?

Here Comes the Groom. The next morning, the groom goes to the bride’s house. The procession starts with a loud sound. The procession is made with the groom’s friends and family. It is a grand affair. They wear fancy clothes, carry banners, and play loud music to scare away evil spirits. In a modern Chinese wedding, the groom arrives with just his groomsmen. The bride’s friends block the doorway until they let the groom in. The groom must give the bridesmaids hong bao, red envelopes filled with money, to pass. Nowadays, bridesmaids may challenge the groom and groomsmen to tasks instead of accepting hong bao. Bridesmaids make the groom and groomsmen work for it, so be creative! Ask them to rub their stomach, pat their head, and recite poetry. Do 100 push-ups. Sing and dance like you’re at the Grammys. Once the bridesmaids are happy, the groom can come in. During the Chinese tea ceremony, the couple gives the grooms family Tsao Chun tea as a sign of respect. In the past, only the groom’s family received this tea. Now, modern Chinese couples include the bride’s family as well. Start with the oldest and work your way down to the youngest. Then the couple gets lai see, a red envelope with money, jewelry, or gifts.


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What Does The Groom Wear In China
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Christina Kohler

As an enthusiastic wedding planner, my goal is to furnish couples with indelible recollections of their momentous occasion. After more than ten years of experience in the field, I ensure that each wedding I coordinate is unique and characterized by my meticulous attention to detail, creativity, and a personal touch. I delight in materializing aspirations, guaranteeing that every occasion is as singular and enchanted as the love narrative it commemorates. Together, we can transform your wedding day into an unforgettable occasion that you will always remember fondly.

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7 comments

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  • I am Chinese Canadian and in my 20s and have been cheongsams/ qipaos for the last 10 years. Some of my favorites are like the psychedelic vintage ones that I find when online vintage piece hunting. I have a curvier body because I’m half french, so now I am trying to learn how to make them myself as having the perfect fit is key. But I would highly recommend that anyone can start collecting them! Some of my favorite pieces were $40 CAD that I got from etsy and just had to make some minor adjustments. I wear them casually with leather jackets and also for special occasions! GIRLS ITS TIME TO START COLLECTING.

  • Thank you for posting this article! I’m in the process of looking for a dress and have had my eye on East Meets Dress for a while but was never sure about the process. I’m so glad you tried on the dresses and I got to see what some more of them were like on people (looking at pictures is different imo). Thanks again!

  • All the dresses were lovely. Thank you for sharing your unboxing and dress-up. I’ve checked out the site for the wedding dress too, because I’ve always remembered there’s another traditional wedding dress besides the qipao line: the qun kua (most of my friends wore these). Anyway, I actually like the more traditional choice Helen has chosen. The ones Mel and Janet had decided are were definitely gorgeous but the traditional one is just as gorgeous.

  • These dresses looked great on Helen! So glad that she is able to share the Chinese culture of tea ceremonies with others. I recently had my Chinese tea ceremony too and it was very special to have the two families join together like the girls mention 🙂 Just my 2 cents for those who are looking into buying qipaos through East Meets Dress. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the most positive experience with them. They charge at least $75 to try on only 3 dresses, so Helen was lucky to get sent so many dresses. Their sample dresses to try on were also not diverse in sizes and fits more of the petite/small sizes. I ultimately chose not to buy from them due to the high price and fit ): I’m more of a size 6-8, tall, and curvy so I wished their sample sizes were more open to other sizes.

  • The hardest part of finding a suitable qipao is making sure I don’t look like I work at a dim-sum restaurant… plus, I don’t have the neck length and body shape that work well with qipao. And it’s expensive to tailor-make a qipao. When I got married, I didn’t wear the qipao/ cheongsam for the tea ceremony. I rented a qunkua/ kwa instead, which is more popular with the Cantonese (mum is Cantonese). The kwa has a very forgiving silhouette – good for me 😅 There was heavy embroidery of gold and silver thread on red fabric, and with the gold jewelry, I felt like an empress 😂 It’s interesting how different Chinese dialect groups choose their attire for the tea ceremony!

  • I’m Italian with some southwest Asian, Nigerian, and Greek heritage, and now I wish to have a tea ceremony for my wedding 😍😍🥺🥺 Your culture is SO beautiful! I just love every aspect of Asian culture. It is so beautiful and so pristine. Looking at the culture I grew up in (american), everything seems so boring after seeing such beautiful qipao!!!!

  • The red dress she picked (phoebe) is the one I picked, too. But after seeing her in all 6 dresses – I actually think the red marilyn is the best dress for her figure. I like the back on that and the drape of the fabric. The other dresses, in comparison, seem ill-fitting or cheesy/over-the-top for some reason. The deep red of the marilyn also looks a bit more sophisticated, grown up, and sexy without being overtly so.