Planning your dream wedding, but on a tight budget? Taobao to the rescue! Here’s a guide to finding the right items for your wedding.

Wedding Prep

Customised wedding invitations, bridesmaid dresses and more.

1. Wedding Invitations

If you’re having a big wedding, the invitations alone can take up a big chunk of your budget. Luckily for you though, Taobao has an endless selection of wedding invites – in fact, you can choose from modern, romantic, traditional, classic or more.

Once you find a design you like, chat with the seller via AliWangwang to discuss your requirements for the invitation. Most sellers usually have a template for you to fill in your details (i.e. wedding date, venue, names), but you can also use your own template and layout.

(Source: 唯思美创意婚品/Taobao)

Once the seller has confirmed your invite details, they will do a mockup and send it to you for approval before printing. This process will usually take a day or two. Remember to double check the spelling before confirming for print – the last thing you want is a typo in all 300 of your invitations. Once everything is confirmed, you can then check out on Taobao and pay.

Printing time varies between sellers, but it usually takes about 3 days for regular printing and 5 days for gold embossed (烫金) printing. Shipping to Singapore via a forwarder would probably take 2 weeks or so, but if you’re in a rush you can request for them to send the invites directly to Singapore. Direct shipping (顺丰速运) is much faster (3 – 4 days), but also more expensive. Prices vary between sellers, but it’s usually 110 yuan for the first kilogram, and 100 yuan for subsequent kilograms. For estimation purposes, 1 kilogram would be about 80 invitations (but check with the seller for the exact weight).

Helpful Search Terms
定制婚礼请柬 – Customised Wedding Invitation
请柬 – Wedding Invitation
烫金 – Gold Embossed (for printing text)
顺丰速运 – Direct Shipping

2. Bridesmaid Dresses

When choosing bridesmaid dresses on Taobao, try to pick those with an elastic waist or adjustable bodice to minimise the need for alterations. Also, A-Line cuts tend to be flattering on most figures. Taobao has a wide range of bridesmaid dresses for different budgets, as well as both long and short options.

(Source: 幸福伴儿/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
伴娘小礼服 – Short Bridesmaid Dress
伴娘礼服长款 – Long Bridesmaid Dress

3. Tiara

Because…why not?

(Source: missdiva旗舰店/Taobao)

4. Lace Veil

It’s not exactly advisable to order your wedding gown or Quah on Taobao, because things can go wrong. The quality may not always be consistent, and the cut may not suit you – which means you’ll have to spend more on alterations. It’s best to try it on in person if possible. If you’re headed to China before your wedding, Shenzhen has a “wedding street” where you can get gowns tailor-made.

You can’t go wrong with wedding veils though, and Taobao has a pretty wide selection. In fact, you can even get veils as long as 3 metres to make a truly dramatic entrance.

(Source: 大白纱爱情港湾/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
头纱 – Wedding Veil
蕾丝 – Lace
拖尾 – Floor Length

5. Bowtie

Yes they’re clip-ons but shh…nobody will know.

(Source: tssghn/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
领结 – Bowtie
领花 – Bowtie with ribbon
领带 – Tie

6. Corsage

Fake flowers are easy to maintain and your bridesmaids can keep them as souvenirs after the wedding.

(Source: 喜连连-喜庆用品婚庆用品/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
手花 – Corsage

Traditional Items

Auspicious bedsheets, tea ceremony sets and a traditional dowry? Here’s how to get your traditional wedding items sorted.

1. Tea Set

Remind the seller to bubble wrap the tea set when packing, because superstitious relatives won’t be too impressed with a chipped tea cup.

(Source: 杰艺旗舰店/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
茶具 – Tea Set

2. Couple Utensils

(Source: 花好喜铺喜庆用品/Taobao)

If you’re planning to do traditional wedding rituals such as eating tang yuan, you might want to buy some nice utensils for the big day. Make sure you get a set that matches your dress (because, pictures).

(Source: 花好喜铺喜庆用品/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
对碗对杯 – Couple Utensils

3. Dowry Set

If the groom’s parents are traditional, the bride’s family may have to give a dowry. You can easily find dowry sets on Taobao that come with everything you need, such as auspicious bedsheets, tea sets and even…a spittoon.

(Source: 禧爱壹家旗舰店/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
嫁妆 – Dowry
子孙桶 – Traditional 3-piece set (baby bathtub, spittoon, small basin)

4. Wedding Bedsheets

When choosing wedding bedsheets, try not to get those made from fibre (纤维) – the material tends to pill just after a few washes.

(Source: 雪利家纺/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
四件套 – Four-piece bedsheet set (Quilt, mattress, pillows)
刺绣 – Embroidery
纯棉 – Pure Cotton
真丝 – Pure Silk
冰丝 – Synthetic Silk
贡缎 – Satin

5. Hair Accessories (For Quah)

Not a fan of the big red flower look to go with your traditional Quah? Opt for smaller statement hair accessories instead.

(Source: 赏美旗舰店/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
婚庆红色发饰 – Quah Red Hair Accessory
三件套 – Three-piece set (Tiara, Necklace and earrings)
皇冠 – Tiara
项链 – Necklace
耳针 – Stud Earrings
耳夹 – Clip-on Earrings

6. Traditional Red Heels

The problem with wearing a traditional Quah is that…you never know what shoes to match with it. How about a pair of traditional red heels to match?

(Source: 伊迪佳婚鞋红鞋厂家直销/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
红色新娘鞋 – Traditional Red Heels
复古 – Vintage
防水台 – Platform Heels
粗跟 – Chunky Heels
中跟 – 1-2inch Heels
高跟 – High Heels

7. Double ‘Xi’ Stickers

Traditional Double ‘Xi’ stickers than can be stuck on glass surfaces.

(Source: 喜连连-喜庆用品婚庆用品/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
双喜贴纸 – Traditional Double ‘Xi’ stickers
定制 – Customization
窗花贴纸 – Stickers for windows

Decorations

Everything you need to create a Pinterest-worthy wedding.

1. Alphabet Balloons

Perfect for wedding photoshoots or sprucing up your reception area. These wedding balloon packages also come with a free pump and glue dots (for sticking the balloons onto the wall or window).

(Source: 佰赫山工艺品/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
字母气球 – Alphabet Balloons
婚房布置 – Wedding Bedroom Decor
装饰 – Decorations
气球套餐 – Balloon packages

2. Balloons

If you’re planning on using A LOT of balloons (read: balloon wall), it’s probably more economic to buy them from Taobao. Just keep in mind that you might have to rent a helium tank from a local vendor.

(Source: 小太子派对节日商品批发/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
气球 – Balloons
口扎绳 – Balloon Ties
气球托赶 – Balloon Sticks
造型夹 – Balloon Structure Clips

3. Organza Fabric

Planning to go with DIY decorations? You can do so much with organza fabric – from dressing up hallways to creating backdrops.

(Source: 哈淘家居专营店/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
沙曼 – Organza Fabric

4. Fake Flower Petals

Because real flower petals will cost a bomb. Use these fake flower petals to decorate your wedding aisle, reception, or even dessert table.

(Source: 完美喜铺/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
假花瓣 – Fake Flower Petals

5. Satin Ribbon

Spruce up your dinner chairs with these ribbons, which come in a whole array of colours.

(Source: 小英织带缎带丝带/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
缎带 – Satin Ribbon

6. Dessert Stand

Having a dessert table? A tiered cake stand is a must.

(Source: 韵瓷艺/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
甜品台 – Dessert Stand
双层 – Two-tier
三层 – Three-tier
陶瓷 – Ceramic
纸质 – Cardboard Paper

7. Table Numbers

Because sometimes, it’s all in the details.

(Source: 喜客工坊/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
席位卡 – Table Numbers
席位夹 – Table Number Holders

8. Decorative Wooden Pegs

Want to display a collage of Polaroid photos? Hang them up with these cute heart wooden pegs.

(Source: 幸福打包淘乐馆/Taobao)

9. Guestbook

You might not get a chance to talk to each and every guest on your big day, so a guestbook will come in handy for guests to leave you their well-wishes and uh, love advice.

(Source: 臻囍婚庆用品原创高端请柬/Taobao)

Helpful Search Terms
签到本 – Guestbook

Wedding Favours

Skip the tacky wedding keychains and give your guests something they’d actually use.

1. Decorative Soap

Practical, punny and pretty. ‘Nuff said.

Fall in love…geddit geddit?(Source: 完美奇缘/Taobao)

2. Coasters

Cute and customised coasters anyone? Pick from the standard designs, or customise coasters with your names and wedding date.

(Source: 称心如意创意礼品商城婚庆礼品婚礼小礼物结婚用品批发/Taobao)

3. Salt and Pepper Shakers

Cute, compact and useful. What more can you ask for?

(Source: 千度爱家居礼品店-婚庆礼/Taobao)

4. Decorative Boxes (for Wedding Favours)

Pretty boxes to put your wedding favours in!

(Source: 安渡时光Andtime/Taobao)

Useful Keywords

婚庆 – Wedding
拉花 – Draping decorations
娃娃 – Soft toys
装饰 – Decorations
龙凤烛 – Wedding Candles
拍照道具 – Photobooth Props
烫金 – Gold Embossed
定制 – Customized
创意 – Creative
对联 – Couplet
喜糖盒 – Wedding Favour Box
小礼品 – Wedding Favours
杯垫 – Coasters
香皂 – Scented Soap
创意实用 – Creative and Practical
批发 – Bulk Purchase