Wedding has betrothal gifts arrive in wheelbarrows

Quang (in red top) and his family deliver betrothal gifts to his bride’s home in wheelbarrows on October 7, 2023. Photo courtesy of Quang and Yen

Quang and his wife, Tran Hai Yen, 23, come from the same village in Thai Binh. Their houses are located 500 meters apart. Quang came up with the idea of using wheelbarrows to deliver his betrothal gifts instead of letting his relatives and friends carry them walking.

"The gifts are heavy so my relatives and friends would have to work impossibly hard to carry them walking," Quang said.

Quang did not reveal his idea to Yen nor her family. His mother was initially worried that using wheelbarrows could make Yen’s family uncomfortable since it deviated from familiar traditional rituals. But he eventually managed to convince her to get on board.

Cultured by a historically more traditional set of ‘saving face’ societal moors, she spoke only one sentence to him: "You have to make sure that you will carefully prepare the barrows, in order to avoid being complained about."

Quang rented seven new wheelbarrows two days before his engagement ceremony, painted them red, installed counterfeit "lucky number license plates," and attached support trays to carry gifts.

"The whole trip was smooth and it was easy to avoid unexpected accidents by using barrows," a member of the betrothal party said.

Quang and Yen (in red outfits) pose with a wheelbarrow during their engagement ceremony on October 7, 2023. Photo courtesy of Quang and Yen

The video of the "Wheelbarrow Team" was immediately a social media hit with young people, attracting likes and follows and a litany of positive comments below the post.

"This is a good and practical idea," wrote a netizen named Hoang An. "Delivering the gifts with wheelbarrows is safe and fun. Wish you two a happy marriage."

Quang said he was surprised when his and Yen’s engagement ceremony received so much attention. He claimed he did not implement the idea for fame or showing off. Instead, he merely wanted to support his family’s gift party and spread the joy of his big day with others.

Yen and her family said they appreciated Quang’s idea, though they were surprised at first.

"I have seen others welcome the bride in their weddings with unusual vehicles such as sewing machines, bullock carts, or boats," Yen said. "But I did not expect that to happen in my own engagement ceremony."

 

 

Wedding has betrothal gifts arrive in wheelbarrows

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