Need Advice for Guo Da Li “过大礼”

[barefooter]

Dear All,

Need some advice here for Guo Da Li “过大礼”. Understand guy side will usually give the lady side two bottles of hard liquor. Do you all usually give Martell V.S.O.P or Cordon Bleu? Price can differ quite a lot, what’s an average hard liquor you all would recommend that’s presentable and don’t look too cheapo?

And also any good place to recommend getting roast suckling pig too?

Thanks and have a nice day!

[NicoleFeng]

Betrothal Gifts

The tradition of gifting the bride’s family with gifts before the wedding represents the formal betrothal in ancient times. There are two parts to this.

The first takes place two weeks before the wedding, where the groom and a lady of good fortune, or a matchmaker, will pay a visit to the bride’s home with a basket of gifts. Otherwise known as “Guo Da Li”, this gesture serves as an assurance that the groom will abide by and honour his promise.

The items in the basket varies by the ancestral regions of the bride and groom. If the bride and groom are from two different dialect groups, the bride will typically follow the groom’s ancestral traditions.

Here’s what to expect in that basket of gifts:

- Two bottles of brandy
- An even number of tangerines (The Chinese believe that good things come in pairs; a recommended number would be eight – a favourite among the Chinese)
- Peanut candies (Teochew bride) or rice candies (Hokkien bride)
- Six tins of canned pig’s trotters or one whole roast pig (for the Cantonese brides)
- Two pairs of red dragon and phoenix candles
- Betrothal jewellery (Teochew bride)

[NicoleFeng]

The second part to this tradition is when the bride gives something back to the groom as a gesture of goodwill. The bride’s parents are expected to present the groom’s parents with “return gifts” or “hui li” in Mandarin.

Instead of brandy, two bottles of orange syrup or honey will be returned. Everything else in the betrothal basket, except for the pair of dragon candles and betrothal jewellery, will be returned in even numbers to the groom’s family.

The betrothal jewellery, which consists four different types of gold, usually a pair of earrings, bracelet/bangle, necklace and ring, is yours to keep. Often referred to as “Si Dian Jin”, it is a gift from your mother-in-law and signifies that you’ll always have a roof over your head and a comfortable life. It gets its name from the four different types of gold gifted to you, usually a bracelet, a necklace, a ring and a pair of earrings.

[NicoleFeng]

Actually it doesn't matter if you give Martell V.S.O.P or Cordon Bleu. For my side, my parent just request for a bottle of presentable liquor. It depends on your budget as well. A wedding cost a lot, it depends really on what you truly wants. A perfectionist in every aspect of your wedding or you may wish to save up more on decorations. It's truly depends on you.

Cheers!

[cereal]

The tradition will normally follow that of the bride's dialect rite?

So when the bride 回礼, do we return as per the bride's dialect or the groom's dialect?

[PrinceBryan]

For the liqour, many go for duty-free including myself. It's cheaper than outside, although the price still on the high side.

As for the return gifts, it's not unique to any dialect, iirc.

Thanks
Bryan