Singaporebrides | Weddings 101

July 2025

9 Important Chinese Wedding Superstitions Every Singapore Bride Needs To Know

By Audrie Soh

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Read up on these important Chinese wedding superstitions to avoid inviting bad luck into your happy union.

Weddings are often filled with joy, love, and meaningful traditions. In Chinese culture, however, they also come with a rich tapestry of wedding superstitions that have been passed down through generations. Modern brides have been told by their elders that abiding by these superstitions is a surefire way to bless their union with prosperity, harmony and good fortune.

But, if you’re not one to follow superstition, there’s no need to worry—your marriage can be just as joyful and fulfilling without them. Whether you choose to believe and follow these wedding superstitions or simply want to understand their significance out of respect for tradition and your elders, here are nine Chinese wedding superstitions every Singapore bride should know.

1. Incorporating more of the colour red will bless the marriage with good luck

For the Chinese, colours have a strong cultural symbolism. The colour red is seen as an auspicious colour, symbolising joy, luck, love, fertility, good fortune and prosperity – everything a newlywed couple hopes to usher into their marriage. It was also believed to ward off evil spirits, attract good energy and bring blessings to significant life events in ancient times, which is why red was the primary colour featured in Chinese weddings of the past.

2. White and black colours are considered inauspicious

On the other hand, white and black are considered inauspicious colours in the Chinese culture as they are traditionally associated with mourning and funerals. To avoid associating and bringing negative energies into a joyous union, couples are told to refrain from using these colours in their wedding, with the exception of their wedding attire.

3. Not meeting each other the day before the wedding will preserve the auspiciousness of the marriage and ward off any misfortune

There is a long-standing superstition in Chinese culture that the bride and groom should not see each other on the day before the wedding as it is considered bad luck to do so. Traditionally, it is believed that if a bride and groom meet before the wedding, it may disrupt the flow of good fortune and invite negative energies into the union.

4. Using the numbers 4 and 7 in the wedding will bring bad luck to your marriage

Like colours, numbers in the Chinese culture also carry strong symbolic meanings, particularly the numbers 4 and 7. The number 4 is widely considered unlucky because it sounds very similar to the word “death” in Mandarin and other Chinese dialects like Cantonese and Hokkien. The number 7, on the other hand, is viewed as inauspicious because it is associated with the 7-day mourning cycles in traditional Taoist and Buddhist customs, as well as the Hungry Ghost Festival, which falls in the 7th lunar month.

5. Trying on a Qun Kua as a set before the wedding day is symbolic of getting married twice when you put it on on your wedding day.

When it comes to wearing the Qun Kua, there are certain guidelines brides should follow – guidelines that are rooted in symbolism, tradition and the desire to ensure harmony and good fortune in the marriage.

For starters, brides should avoid trying on the full Qun Kua before their wedding day, as it is believed that doing so will result in using up the luck or blessings meant for the wedding. Putting on the full Qun Kua more than once is also believed to be symbolic of getting married twice, since the Qun Kua is only worn during a wedding.

Brides should also take care not to let pregnant women touch the Qun Kua as it will spell bad luck for her. Lastly, your Qun Kua should be a brand new piece that fits you properly – if your Qun Kua doesn’t fit your well, do not alter the size as it is believed that doing so means that you will change your marriage or marry another husband. Instead, you should choose another piece in the size that fits you.

6. Choose an auspicious date for the wedding blesses your union with maximum good fortune

Rooted in the belief that selecting the right date can bless the couple’s marriage with harmony, prosperity, good health, and long-lasting happiness, many couples often consult the Chinese lunar calendar or work with a Feng Shui master or fortune teller to calculate a series of auspicious dates based on their zodiac signs, birth dates, and sometimes the birth charts of close family members – depending on how superstitious the couple and their families are.

7. Looking back when leaving her family home brings bad luck into the bride’s new life

Marriage in the Chinese tradition marks a significant rite of passage where the bride leaves her family home and transition to her new role as a wife. Looking back when leaving her family home is said to bring bad luck and believed to invite tears and sorrow into the marriage, as it may symbolise reluctance to move into her new life and role.

8. Breaking things on your wedding day is said to bring misfortune to your marriage

Breaking things in the Chinese culture is a big no-no as it is said to be a bad omen. This is even more so when it comes to breaking things on your wedding day, as it is believed to be symbolic of misfortune or the possibility of a fractured relationship down the road.

However, if something does break or shatter despite everyone’s best efforts, you can use traditional remedies to “neutralise” the bad luck, such as saying auspicious phrases like “岁岁平安” immediately, which translates to peace and safety year after year in English. The word “岁” is a homonym for “碎”, which means broken, so the phrase cleverly plays on the misfortune by transforming it into a blessing.

9. Wearing old shoes on your wedding day may invite bad luck into your marriage

Since a wedding marks the beginning of a completely new chapter in a woman’s life, brides should refrain from wearing old or previously worn shoes on their wedding day to avoid carrying over any negative energies of the past that may taint her marriage with bad luck.

Whether you choose to follow these superstitions to the letter, modify them to fit your needs, or simply wish to understand the meaning behind them to honour your culture and heritage, these age-old beliefs are a representation of the timeless wish for a marriage filled with love, unity and enduring joy.

Credits: Feature image from Charlene and Brian’s Chinoiserie Wedding Photography in an Old Kampong Attap Roof House by Maritha Mae Photography.

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