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What colour does the bride wear at a traditional Chinese wedding? If you answer red, you are not wrong. But you might be surprised to learn that a century ago the bride would wear a heavily embroidered black top with her red skirt.
Traditional wedding outfits have just won recognition as one of the city's cultural treasures. They are one of the 480 items on the government's intangible cultural heritage inventory published in June.
The intricate processes involved in creating traditional Hong Kong outfits - some would take a year to make - are also listed as one of the items. Chinese knot buttons and the cheongsam make the list, too.
Traditionally, bridal outfits featured Chinese knot buttons, and chi suen dai, ribbons of cloth attached to the buttons, while the embroidery reflected not just the city's heritage, but also a family's wealth.
Watch: Why traditional Chinese wedding gown hasn't changed much

So says Hau Miu-ling, the 53-year-old manager of Koon Nam Wah, which has been making wedding outfits for a century. At its store in Yau Ma Tei, she unveils one outfit that dates back 100 years.
It has the heavily embroidered black top, paired with a long red skirt decorated with more rich embroidery.
"These yu yi knots represent the blessing that one's wishes come true, and this pair of chi suen dai represents the blessing that the bride will have a full house of children and grandchildren," said Hau.
This set was worn by brides in the Lam family, who founded the company and in whose hands it remains, three generations on.
According to the heritage inventory, there are at least five types of traditional wedding costumes worn by Hong Kong brides. Gwa wong, which means "king of wedding costumes", and gwa hau, "queen of wedding costumes", are the most glamorous.
Blessings of good fortune, prosperity, longevity, happiness and wealth are the focus of the  ng fook wa and its lighter version  siu ng fook. Ciu gwa refers to more modern designs.

Wedding costumes could be further classified by the density of the embroidery, Hau explained, showing a 60-year-old set of  gwa wong densely sewn with gold and silver thread. "Only rich people could afford such a costume … It would take more than a year to make."
Hau then showed a typical Chinese bridal costume seen at many Hong Kong wedding banquets nowadays. The Chinese knot buttons have been replaced by a zip, and the ribbons of cloth are gone altogether. Both the skirt and the top are red.
Embroidered dragons and phoenixes appear across the generations, signifying a couple's happy life together.
"In the 1920s and '30s, brides wore black tops with red dresses, with black seen as a colour of glamour," said Hau, who has been in the trade for 16 years.
"Later, mainland girls liked wearing red because the colour represented happiness, and that trend spread to Hong Kong," Hau added. "After the reform and opening up in the 1980s, designers were more eager to be creative and create new patterns."
Although traditional wedding costumes remain popular among Hong Kong brides, passing on the craft locally has proved difficult.
Hau said that the shop had always hired tailors from Suzhou , Jiangsu province, and Hangzhou , Zhejiang province - two mainland cities celebrated for their embroidery. She is proud that the shop continued to make hand-sewn wedding costumes while others opted for quicker, cheaper machine-embroidered versions.
The shop does not live in the past though. Since 2009, it has become a one-stop service for the modern bride - renting out Western gowns, providing make-up for the bridal party, organising photography and even arranging the ceremony.
"Competition is keen," said Hau. But it's a business that has always been more than mere commerce. "When we see customers happily trying their wedding costumes on, we feel happy too," Hau added.
 


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Need a hand in marriage? Then ask an embroiderer

Hau Miu-ling, manager of the century-old Koon Nam Wah wedding dressmakers, is surrounded by fine silks and embroidery in the Yau Ma Tei store. Photo: May Tse

The incredible embroidery on one 60-year-old wedding outfit.

News

Hong Kong

Traditional wedding outfits could take a year to decorate with silver and gold thread - no wonder they are listed as part of city's heritage


Traditional wedding outfits have just won recognition as one of the city's cultural treasures. They are one of the 480 items on the government's intangible cultural heritage inventory published in June.


Need a hand in marriage? Then ask an embroiderer

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Traditional wedding outfits could take a year to decorate with silver and gold thread - no wonder they are listed as part of city's heritage

Traditional wedding outfits could take a year to decorate with silver and gold thread - no wonder they are listed as part of city's heritage