luck (this is usually said to the ring bearer to ensure that the child is careful in handling the rings). Money, in the form of paper bills, is sometimes taped or pinned to the groom and bride's dress during their first dance. Vietnamese wedding customs The traditional gowns were modeled after the áo nhật bình (worn by royalty women and ladies) of Nguyễn Dynasty members of the court. The fashion trend of the Nguyễn Dynasty has remained popular and is still used today by Vietnamese individuals both in and outside of Vietnam, with some couples altering the design slightly to modernize or suit their taste; the silhouette of the traditional gown still remains the same. The wedding gown compared to other traditional Vietnamese clothes is more intricate in terms of design and only reserved for the wedding days. Singapore wedding customs Singapore is a highly inter-racial country in Southeast Asia. The main races of people in Singapore include Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasians. As a result of that, the types of wedding customs in Singapore vary relatively widely. For the majority of Chinese, weddings in Singapore would have a day event where the groom will pick up the bride with a tea ceremony followed by a church lunch or dinner banquet. Thai wedding customs Malay wedding customs A Malay wedding ceremony spreads over two days, beginning with the akad nikah ceremony on the first day. The groom signs the marriage contract and agrees to provide the bride with a mas kahwin (dowry). After that, their hands are dyed with henna during the berinai besar ceremony. On the second day, the bride is with her family and friends with musicians and bunga manggar or palm blossom carriers at the bride's house. At the house they are greeted with sprinkling of yellow rice and scented water. Minangkabau wedding customs As a matrilineal society, the bride family will be the one who proposes to the groom. This tradition is called maminang. If proposal is accepted, they will sign marriage contract. For the ceremony, manjapuik marapulai, the bride family will invite the groom, then, they will be shown to the public as newly married couple. United States and Canadian customs In a typical year there are about 2.2 million weddings in the United States and this is expected to rise to 2.6 million in 2022. According to wedding website The Knot, 10 percent of