A Nonya and Baba wedding
was a 12-day long affair, displaying a mixture of Chinese and Malay customs.
The elaborate wedding costume was from the Ming and Manchu periods. The bride
wore a heavy brocade gown with heavily embroidered sleeves typical of the
Ming Dynasty period. The head dress was held by hair pins of gold or silver,
studded with pearls and diamonds. A garland of jasmine buds surrounded the
Nonya chignon. The groom wore a Manchu-style three-quarter length embroidered
tunic over an angle-length silk gown. He wore a skullcap and silk-embroidered
shoes of cloth and carried a decorated fan. For a comprehensive history of
Nonya and Baba culture, visit www.peranakan.org.sg