The History of Chinese Wedding Desserts
In Chinese culture, marriage symbolizes the coming together of not only the couple but also of their families and ancestors. While many of the obligations and elaborate rituals related to Chinese weddings have been simplified and modernized over the years, serving and eating Chinese wedding desserts still remains very popular.
One of the traditions that have survived is the practice of exchanging bridal pastries, one of the most popular types of Chinese wedding desserts.
This dates back to the late Eastern Han Dynasty (161-223) when a warlord named Liu Bei married the widowed sister of Sun Quan, a warlord in the neighboring state of Eastern Wu. When Liu Bei arrived in Eastern Wu, he ordered his soldiers to give out pastries to the people to display his wealth and generosity.
This eventually evolved into the tradition of a groom’s family handing out bridal pastries in order to win over the family of the bride.
Traditional Chinese Wedding Desserts
Traditional Chinese wedding desserts are known to be sweet and soft. This dates back to when milk and cheese were not as readily available, so sweet rice and dough would be used instead to make into pastries or sweet rice ball soup filled with sesame paste and red beans. The “Sweet and Sticky,” texture also symbolizes the sweetness of the love shared by the bride and groom, and that the two will always stick together.
Nowadays, Chinese wedding desserts and pastries come in many shapes, sizes, and flavors and are still commonly stuffed with lotus, red or green bean paste, sesame paste, and/or nuts.
Popular motifs and Chinese wedding symbols such as the characters 囍 (double happiness) or 福 (luck) are also printed on the pastries. Choosing a Chinese wedding dessert often depends on your family traditions, heritage, and dialect.
Here are the most common types of traditional Chinese wedding desserts:
Chinese Bridal Pastries
Traditional Chinese wedding bridal pastries are also known as “marry girl cake”, “dowry cake” or Xǐ Bǐng (喜饼) and come in many different types and flavors.
Source: Singapore Brides
Source: Zolima City Mag
Source: Bride & Breakfast HK
Rice balls (Tāngyuán 汤圆)
Source: Wedding Planners Singapore
Black Sesame Rice Balls
Source: Lady and Pups
Lotus Seed Sweet Soup
Source: My Trials Kitchen
Red Bean Sweet Soup
Source: Omnivore's Cookbook
Black Sesame Soup
Source: Omnivore's Cookbook
Sticky Rice Cakes with Red Bean Paste
Source: Omnivore's Cookbook
Chinese Almond Tofu (Almond Jelly)
Source: China Sichuan Food
Modern Chinese Wedding Desserts
While traditional Chinese wedding desserts are yummy and great options to incorporate into your Asian-inspired wedding, nowadays, couples have many more modern Asian-inspired dessert options to choose from for their wedding.
By combining classic Asian flavors like red bean, sesame, lotus, and custard with a modern twist, there are endless beautiful cakes, pies, and pastries that can serve as your modern Chinese wedding dessert.
Asian-Inspired Cakes
Source: Cakes Decor
Modern Mooncakes
Source: Eatchofood
Fluffy Cheesecake
Source: FoxyFolksy
Double Happiness Wedding Pie
Source: Lady and Pups
Egg Tarts
Source: Taste of Asian Food
Asian-Inspired Decorated Cookies
Source: Vangelis Photography
Chinese Almond Cookies
Source: Omnivore's Cookbook
Glazed Chinese Five-Spice Cookies
Source: Eatchofood
Fortune Cookies 
Source: Alchemy Fine Events
Cupcakes
Source: Creativien
Ginger Creme Brulee
Source: Omnivore's Cookbook
Double Happiness Macarons
Source: mattaboutfood
Chinese Wedding Sweet Buns
Source: Theresa Helmer Photography
Mochi Muffins
Source: Eatchofood
Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Cream Puffs
Source: Dessert First Girl
Scallion Popover S’mores
Source: Lady and Pups
Sugar Egg Puffs
Source: Dessert First Girl
Glazed Tapioca Donuts with Peanut Dust
Source: Lady and Pups
Your wedding is the time to indulge and treat yourself and your guests to whatever your sweet tooth desires. From traditional Chinese wedding pastries to modern Asian-inspired fusion desserts, we hope this list inspired you with ways you can incorporate your culture on your big day.
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