Chinese marriage was systemized into custom during the Warring States period (402-221 B.C.). Due to the vast expansion and long history, there are different customs that are followed in different places, although they are generally the same. Visitors still get chances to witness traditional marriages in the countryside.

In the ancient times, it was very important to follow the basic principles of Three Letters And Six Etiquettes, which were essential to marriage.

Three letters include the Betrothal Letter, Gift Letter and Wedding Letter. The Betrothal Letter is the formal document of the engagement, which is a must in a marriage. Next a gift letter is necessary, which will be sent to the identified girl's family that lists the quantity and types of various gifts for the wedding once both parties have accepted marriage. Lastly, the Wedding Letter refers to the document that will be prepared and presented to the bride's family on the day of the wedding to confirm and commemorate the formal acceptance of the bride into the bridegroom's family.

The six etiquettes include: Proposing: If an unmarried boy's parents identify a girl as their future daughter-in-law, then they will find a matchmaker. Proposal used to be practiced by a matchmaker. The matchmaker will formally present his or her client's request to the identified girl's parents.

Birthday matching: If the potential bride's parents do not object the marriage, the matchmaker will ask for the girl's birthday record for the time at which she was born. This is assuring the compatibility of the potential bride and bridegroom. If the couple's birthdays and birth hours do not conflict according to astrology, the marriage will continue into the next stage. Once there is any conflict that indicates that the marriage will bring disasters to the male or female's family, the proposed marriage stops.

Presenting betrothal gifts: Once birthdays match, the bridegroom's family will then arrange the matchmaker to present betrothal gifts, enclosing the betrothal letter, to the bride's family.

Presenting wedding gifts: After the betrothal letter and betrothal gifts are accepted, the bridegroom's family will later formally send wedding gifts to the bride's family. Usually, gifts include tea, lotus seeds, longan, red beans, green beans, red dates, nutmeg, oranges, pomegranate, lily, bridal cakes, coconuts, wine, red hair braid, money box and much more, depending on local customs and family wealth.

Picking a wedding date: An astrologist or astrology book will be consulted to select an auspicious date to hold the wedding ceremony.

Wedding ceremony: On the selected day, the bridegroom departs with a troop of escorts and musicians, playing happy music all the way to the bride's home. After the bride is escorted to the bridegroom's home, the wedding ceremony begins.

In contrast with the West, the dominant color at traditional Chinese weddings is red. Chinese tend to apply red to add happiness into the atmosphere.

At dawn on the wedding day, after a bath in water infused with various grapefruits, the bride puts on new clothes and wares a pair of red shoes. At this time she awaits the ��good luck woman�� to dress her hair in the style of a married woman. Her head will be covered with a red silk veil with tassels or bead strings that hang from the phoenix crown. With married women teaching her how to be a good wife, she waits for her future husband to escort her home.

On the other hand, the bridegroom prepares to receive his new wife. He gets dressed in a long gown, red shoes and a red silk sash with a silk ball on his chest. The groom knelt at the ancestral altar as his father put a cap decorated with cypress leaves on his head to declare his adulthood and his family responsibility.

Then the bridegroom set out to receive his bride. Usually he will be crowded among his friends as escorts and musicians who play happy music all the way to radiate happiness. Dancing lions, if any, precede the troop. In the ancient time, a bridal sedan chair (or a decorated donkey due to poverty or bad traffic) would be used to serve the bride. There will be a child carrying a bridal box among the people, reflecting the bridegroom's expectation to have a child in the near future. The most interesting part of the reception really takes place at the doorstep of the bride's residence, which is heavily guarded by the bridesmaids, or sisters of the bride. It is customary for the bridesmaid to give the bridegroom a difficult time before he is allowed to enter. Usually wisdom and courage and his friends will help the bridegroom to succeed in the quizzes. After passing the tests and singing for his bride, the bridegroom is finally allowed to meet his bride. However, there is one more test, he has to distribute red packets with auspicious money inside to the bridesmaids and sisters of the bride, before he can take his bride home.

Before the bride departures to his bridegroom's home, a good lucky woman to the sedan chair carries her. On her way to the chair, one sister will shield her with a red parasol and another will throw rice at the sedan chair. At the back of the chair are hung a sieve and a metallic mirror that was believed to protect the bride from evil. The bride has to cry to show that she does not want to leave her parents.

Afterwards, firecrackers will be set off to drive away evil spirits as the bride sits into the sedan chair. Along the way people make great efforts to avoid any inauspicious influence. For instance, the sedan chair is heavily curtained, so as to prevent the bride from seeing an unlucky sight, e.g. a widow, a well or even a cat. When the parading troop arrives at the bridegroom's, firecrackers will be set off to hail the bride's arrival. Before the sedan chair a red mat is placed so that the bride will not touch the bare earth. By the threshold there is a flaming stove and a saddle that will be set up. The bride is required to step over, to avoid any evils.

The wedding ceremony is the hottest point. The bride and bridegroom are led to the family altar, where the couple pays kotows to Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors and parents successively. Then they bow to each other and will be led to the bridal chamber. The ceremony proceeds under a director's prompts and applauses of the audience.

Then there will be a grand feast for relatives and those who took part in the wedding. The newlywed couple will resume to drink wedlock wine. Usually, they cross their arms to sip the wine, and exchange their cups to gulp down. They also will toast with guests to pay their thanks. Good wishes of the guests rush to the couple. However, well-intentioned people will try their best to fuddle the bridegroom who is dodging to avoid the embarrassing scene.

Teasing games in the bridal chamber: After night falls, the teasing games start. Usually all young men can participate except for the bride's married brothers-in-law. Those funny and silly games will ease the tension, since in ancient times the newlyweds never met each other before the wedding. Most of the games require the shy couple to act like wife and husband. The festive atmosphere also promotes closeness amongst family members and the community. There also will be other activities conducted by the bridegroom's mother after the roaring laughter fades.

Traditional marriage customs lost its popularity due to the collapse of feudal marriage custom and its complexity. However, traditional marriage can still be seen in the countryside, despite innovations. Now, traditional marriage custom revives in some places and attracts will-be-couples.