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By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17.
Why many couples change outfits during their wedding, which cultures expect it, from Chinese tea ceremonies to Nigerian and Indian weddings, and how to plan them.
Couples wear more than one wedding outfit mainly because many weddings are really several events, each with its own dress code. A Chinese-American bride may wear a red cheongsam for the tea ceremony and a white gown for the ceremony. Korean couples often change into hanbok for pyebaek. Nigerian and Ghanaian couples wear traditional cloth for the traditional wedding and a gown and suit for church. Others simply want a practical dress for dancing, or to honour two cultures in one day.
| Culture | Typical outfits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese and Chinese diaspora | Red qun kwa or cheongsam, white gown | Tea ceremony and banquet in red, ceremony in white |
| Korean | Western gown and suit, then hanbok | Hanbok for the pyebaek family ceremony |
| Japanese | Kimono, then Western dress or tuxedo | Shinto rite in kimono, other parts in Western dress |
| Nigerian | Aso oke or lace, then white gown and suit | Traditional wedding and church wedding |
| Indian and Pakistani | Different outfits for each event | Mehndi, ceremony and reception are separate events |
| Multicultural couples | One outfit per culture | Honouring both families |
Every family is different, so treat these as common patterns rather than rules.
Cantonese brides traditionally wear a qun kwa, a heavily embroidered red silk jacket and skirt decorated with a dragon and phoenix. Many Chinese and Chinese diaspora brides now wear both red and white. Writing in the South China Morning Post, one Chinese-American bride described buying two white dresses and wearing a red cheongsam for her tea ceremony to honour her father. Chinese bridal clothing explains the garments, and why do brides wear red? covers the colour.
Most Korean weddings today are Western-style, but many couples change into hanbok for pyebaek, the ceremony where they bow to the groom's family. The mothers often wear hanbok too, the groom's mother in blue shades and the bride's in red. See Korean hanbok weddings.
A traditional Japanese bride wears a kimono: a white shiromuku, a colourful iro-uchikake or a black kurobiki furisode. In non-religious ceremonies, brides often wear a Western wedding dress and grooms a tuxedo, and many couples do both over the day. Japanese bridal kimono explains each style.
In Nigeria and Ghana, many couples hold a traditional wedding and a separate church or civil "white wedding". Yoruba couples often wear aso oke, the hand-woven cloth worn for weddings, and Ghanaian couples kente, then a gown and suit for church. See African wedding fashion and Nigerian bridal fashion.
Hindu wedding celebrations may extend for several days, and many families hold a separate mehndi night, where henna is applied to the couple and guests. Each event usually gets its own outfit, from lighter clothes for the mehndi to the full bridal outfit and a sherwani for the ceremony. See Indian wedding traditions.
If your events have different guest lists, such as a small tea ceremony and a large reception, per-event RSVPs show who's coming to what.
It varies. Many couples wear two or three over the day; some wear one. There's no rule, and no reliable data on how common each is.
Red is the traditional bridal colour in Chinese culture, worn for the tea ceremony and often the banquet. Many brides also wear a white gown for a Western-style ceremony.
Often, yes. Korean grooms may change into hanbok for pyebaek, Japanese grooms may switch from haori and hakama to a tuxedo, and Nigerian grooms often wear traditional dress and then a suit. See what grooms wear around the world.
Usually between the ceremony and reception, or partway through the reception after dinner. Build the time into your day-of schedule.
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