Getting married is undoubtedly one of the most important events of all. Therefore, almost every nation considers the wedding ceremony a grand celebration of life, and Vietnamese people are no exception.
Before starting a Vietnamese wedding ceremony, many essential things need to be prepared. In particular, the wedding dress becomes a vital element.
Vietnamese wedding attire is always carefully prepared by the bride and bridegroom and the people who have the honor of attending the wedding ceremony, making the ceremony more formal.
The first thing to know is the different parts of a wedding, which influence the clothes that you will wear.
A Vietnamese marriage ceremony will be divided into two main parts: the wedding ceremony and the congratulatory party.
The wedding ceremony is always considered the most critical and indispensable part of Vietnamese culture. Although the party usually takes place after the ceremony is completed, it is not mandatory.
Depending on the economic conditions of each family, the party may be grand or omitted. This does not affect the fact that the couple is officially recognized as husband and wife.
The wedding dresses are various because of the difference between these two parts of the ceremony and celebration. Please check more details below!
1. Bridal Dress in the Ceremony and Party of the Wedding
1.1. Ceremonial dress: The Ao Dai
In Vietnam, except in some ethnic minority areas, the traditional Vietnamese wedding dresses that brides often wear in the vital wedding ceremonies of their lives are Ao Dai and turban, which have become mandatory attire.
The bride’s dress is primarily pink or red because these colors represent the new, bright, and optimistic. At the same time, they also chose to wear a light jacket of the same color outside.
The bride’s coat always has an eye-catching pattern design with a dragon and phoenix image or a symbol of luck to create a prominent highlight for the main character in the wedding.
The bride wears this clothing throughout the official wedding ceremonies, such as offering incense to her ancestors, meeting relatives, and coming to her husband’s house.
1.2. Party attire: Western-style gowns or modern Ao Dai
At this time, the brides are no longer bound by the dress code as in the ceremony but are free to choose for their preferences.
Most Vietnamese brides choose modern-style wedding dress designs, including modern Ao Dai.
Depending on each person’s economic conditions, each bride’s choice may differ. A few choose a Western-style designer to make their wedding dress. Meanwhile, most Vietnamese brides rent a suitable wedding dress rather than buy one.
The bride can wear one or two dresses or more at her wedding party.
Of course, regardless of the choice, the beauty and splendor factor is still the top selection criterion of every Vietnamese bride.
2. Groom’s Outfit in the Ceremony & Party of the Wedding
2.1. Ceremonial attire: Innovative Ao Dai or Western suit
If the bride is required to wear traditional wedding clothes- Ao Dai- then the groom’s clothing requirement is much simpler. He can wear a long classic outfit, an innovative Ao Dai, or an elegant vest.
The only mandatory feature for the groom’s outfit is polite and bright.
However, in ethnic minority areas, most grooms choose to wear their traditional costumes. For example, with the H’Mong people, the groom usually wears a white shirt underneath, a dark shirt with lovely patterns on the sleeves, and wide-leg black pants.
2.2. Party Attire: Suit or an Elegant Clothes
The groom’s costume is not too fancy, like at a ceremony or wedding party. Most options are suits with trousers, a white shirt, a light tie, and an elegant vest.
3. Attire for Participants in the Ceremony & Party of the Wedding
3.1. Participants’ clothes in the ceremony
Most people who are invited to a wedding ceremony are the family and close relatives of the bride and groom. A very few close friends of the bride and groom will receive the honor of attending this ceremony.
Most wedding attendees choose their outfits carefully to ensure solemnity and courtesy during the ceremony. For men, the leading outfit is a suit, including trousers, a light shirt, a tie, and a vest. Older men often wear traditional ao dai and scarves to increase their respect.
Meanwhile, when Vietnamese women are invited to the wedding ceremony, most are required to wear traditional long dresses (Ao dai).
Many young people or close friends can choose modern Vietnamese clothes, such as skirts or fashionable dresses, but must ensure polite, discreet, and bright elements.
While there are no strict rules on the colors of the wedding dress, most guests are aware that they only choose cheerful or vibrant tones, such as red, pink, or green. Typically, red symbolizes happiness, and pink symbolizes romance. Therefore, a female can wear red and pink clothes to attend a Vietnamese wedding.
Dard colors like black, gray, or purple should not be worn to a Vietnamese wedding because they are associated with misfortune and unhappiness, bringing bad luck to the new couple.
The vital suggestion is to ask the host what you should wear to suit their wedding ceremony so that you can be prepared more carefully.
3.2. Clothes for guests at a wedding party:
The main features of the dress code for guests attending a wedding party are beautiful, new, and bright. This makes the bride and groom’s particular party more lively and radiant.
Of course, outfits that are too colorful or only for worshiping occasions should not be at a wedding party.
In short, wedding dresses are for party time according to Vietnamese tradition. Women can wear traditional ao dai, innovative ao dai, and modern dresses (in the gala dinner style). Men can wear a shirt and trousers, and it is possible to add a vest.
4. How much does a wedding dress cost?
The traditional dress of the bride for a wedding ceremony can cost between 2,000,000 VND and 10,000,000 VND. The difference is due to various materials, such as dress decoration, hiring a designer, or already-made clothing sold in shops on the street.
Professional tailors are available in Hanoi, Hoi An Ancient Town, Da Nang, and Saigon. They offer reasonable prices for wedding dresses, saving you much money without renting a designer.
The modern wedding dress for the bride to wear at a party is quite expensive compared to the standard of living of Vietnamese people. It costs from 10,000,000 VND to 30,000,000 VND.
Hiring a professional designer can cost a new modern wedding dress between 100 million and a few billion dollars. This price is only affordable to a small number of wealthy buyers.
Bridal gowns are mostly rented at wedding dress rental shops. Depending on the newness and beauty of the dress, the price ranges from 1,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND each for a rental of 2 to 3 days.
The groom’s wedding suit is priced like the current vest styles. Price levels depend on the fabric and the store’s reputation. The average price of a suit ranges from 2,500,000 VND to 6,000,000 VND.
Ready-to-wear suits are reasonably priced but not the preferred choice because ready-made suits usually do not fit everyone’s body. The groom often orders himself satisfactory clothes because the wedding is only once a lifetime.
5. Can you see many wedding dress designers in Vietnam?
Because choosing a specific designer for wedding dresses and suits is quite expensive, it seems impossible to find a designer specializing in wedding dresses in Vietnam.
Usually, a few wealthy people will ask famous designers (such as general clothing designers) to design and sew on demand.
Famous clothing designers concentrate in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Only a few well-known designers can be found in other cities.
Now it is your choice to wear a wedding dress to attend an essential wedding in Vietnam.
Please tell us if you want to ask us any questions about wedding clothes!
