Getting married in China: Choosing the date
Choosing the date for your wedding is important in both Finnish and Chinese culture. In Finland we usually choose a Saturday during the three Summer months June, July and August. The weather should be nice and guests are usually free on a weekend. The date might also have a special meaning to the couple. It’s a lot more complicated in China. Of course you want to have your guests available on that date or perhaps choose an anniversary date for your wedding. Dates like 8th of August are also popular as number eight is a lucky number in China. There were lots of couples getting married back in 8.8.2008. Then…
Getting married in China: The paperwork in Finland
Our quest for Chinese marriage certificates Me and my Chinese fiance are getting married in China this Spring. We will get out marriage certificates on Valentine’s Day (if everything goes as planned) and have a Wedding party in the beginning of May. Getting married abroad to a foreigner means there is paperwork to be done. I have now luckily finished the first step and got my papers in order here in Finland. The first thing was to get a Certificate of capacity under Finnish law to contract marriage before a foreign authority. It takes a week to get this documents which is in Finnish, Swedish, English and German. You get…
Being back home after two and a half years
I’ve been living in China for four years now and I have visited Finland two times during these years. First time was Summer 2010, only a few months after my move. The second time was May 2011 when my little sister graduated from high school. After that I only left China to go to Hong Kong quite a few times, for visas, traveling and meeting my fiance’s family. Now after two and a half years I’m back in Finland again, to spend time with my family and friends before the Chinese New Year when I have to go back to China. Living abroad means you are always missing something, missing…
Little Sister’s Chinese Wedding
My boyfriend‘s little sister got married right before the new year. The wedding was a traditional modern Chinese wedding, at least according to my knowledge many Chinese weddings these days follow the same steps and therefore her big day is a great example of a Chinese wedding. First thing in the morning was to start with hair and make-up. While the bride was enjoying a facial mask, her mother, me and the bridesmaids got our make-up ready and hair done. It took a good few hours before she was able to start hers, change to her wedding gown and do final touches to her hair. Relatives started arriving during noon…