I attended a wedding ceremony in Cambridge.
Wedding beginning:

Guests waiting on the grass

Groomsman and bridesmaids making their entrance

This is the wedding I attended in Beijing.
Wedding beginning:

Guests wait outside in the lobby

There are desserts and drinks in the resting area. They are decorated very sweet, pretty and romantic.

The bridegroom and bride make their entrance into the lobby

Wedding process: The Romantic moment in Cambridge

The atmosphere is serious, the bridegroom and bridge read their vows to each other and then put rings on each other. After that, the guests watch as they sign their marriage papers. Everybody is very touched.

People punting on the river send their greetings and best wishes and wave as they pass by. Probably the most distinguished guests are the dairy cows across the river, they move closer as if they want to attend as well!

After the wedding ceremony is finished, the groomsman and bridesmaids will send the bride and groom to the happiness boat. Together, they punt along the river as their first journey together as a married couple. It's so romantic!

After they return from punting, the bride and groom will sit with their groomsman and bridesmaids to have some drinks.

Whilst they wait for the Wedding Breakfast, they'll sit together and chat. This is the seating arrangement board that shows which guests will sit on which table.

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Wedding process: The exciting moment in Beijing.

There is a host on the stage, just like in a TV Talk Show, and they are responsible for making a good atmosphere and raising the spirits of everybody. Most of the times, there are some extra shows such as singing and dancing. Larger weddings will often invite famous singers to perform. I get the feeling that the emphasis at these Weddings are to entertain the guests. Not to make the ceremony too serious, touching or particularly romantic. As long as the atmosphere is lively, and guests are having fun, then the couple will be satisfied.

The guests usually sat in groups of 10 people around a large circular table. When I went to this wedding, aside from my friend, the other 9 people on the table are all strangers. The reason for this is, Chinese people like holding large weddings, and they will even invite their bosses and business partners in addition to their friends. Its quite normal for guests at the wedding to hardly know each other.

This is not a bad thing however because Chinese people see this as an opportunity to build their netweork (Guan Xi).
(You can find my article about building relationships Here)

Because relationships are built on communication, people will find any opportunity to talk with strangers. Even the host will make conversation with guests. Meanwhile, the seated guests will talk amongst themselves, often alluding to what's happening on stage.

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Wedding timing:

Weddings held in the West compared to Asian countries have different time arrangements. In Cambridge, guests are told they should arrive before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In China, wedding ceremonies need to finish before midnight. Only those who have been married before can have a wedding that finishes after midnight.

I've made some comparisons of two very different styles of weddings held in two very different places. Hopefully the differences are clear and raise a bit of interest. Hope you enjoyed my post! Don't forget to leave a comment !