The following are considered taboos and highly inauspicious acts:
- Pregnant ladies may not participate in a Chinese wedding. This applies to Chinese guests and varies among families.
- Those with a recently-deceased family member will also not participate in the wedding and do not even touch the clothes of the newly-weds and items in the new home. Again, this custom varies among different families. Usually, however, Chinese people who have experienced death in the family recently would not be invited to attend weddings, out of respect for the mourning period.
- If a relative passes away before the wedding, the wedding will be postponed for at least a year, which is generally respected as the mourning period. It is considered bad luck to hold a wedding during the mourning period. The mourning period, however, does vary these days. It can range from one month to one year.
