Chinese Weddings
Chinese Tea Ceremony Photography in Toronto
The tea ceremony (敬茶) is the quietest part of a Chinese wedding and the easiest to miss — the couple serves tea to elders on both sides, changes how they address them, and receives red packets, all in a few minutes. Orchid has photographed hundreds since 2011, and we stand where we can see both the elders’ hands and the couple’s faces at once. No interruptions, no re-takes.
When does the tea ceremony happen?
Most often in the morning at the family home, or just before the banquet. It usually anchors the start of the day, with the order set by which family hosts first. We arrive early, find the light, and are in place before the first cup is poured.
What we make sure to get
The tea offered in both hands, the moment of changing how the couple addresses the elders, the elders’ faces as they receive it, and the red packets — set against the 双喜 character and any couplets in the room. These are the few seconds that don’t come back.
Light at home, at a hotel, and in a banquet hall
A living room, a hotel suite, and a banquet hall each light a face differently — window light, mixed lamplight, warm low light. We read each room on arrival and expose for honest skin and true reds rather than fighting the space (see the venues page for more).
Common questions
Often only a few minutes per side, sometimes longer when there are many elders. The key moments are short, so we are in position before it begins rather than reacting once it starts.
There’s no fixed number — it depends on how many elders are taking part and how many family groupings you’d like. As a calm baseline, leaving a little buffer before and after means group photos with elders never feel rushed. Tell us your day’s schedule and we’ll plan the timing around it.
We help group them by side and seniority and call the order in Chinese, so nobody is left wondering where to stand. It goes faster than families expect when someone is quietly directing it.
No rehearsal is needed for the photography. If you tell us the order and who is involved in advance, we plan our positions around it so the ceremony flows without interruption.
Since 2011 · Mandarin & Cantonese