The hair combing ceremony, kept close and quiet in its own highlight
The hair combing ceremony (seung tau in Cantonese, shang tou in Mandarin) is a blessing held by many Cantonese families on the night before the wedding. At a time the family has chosen, the bride and the groom each sit at their own family home while a parent, or a woman considered blessed with a full and happy life, combs their hair four times, saying a wish for the marriage with each stroke. It marks a step into adulthood and is usually small, late and quiet. To get a highlight of it, upload the hair combing footage as its own WeddingEditor project, name the people and the blessings in the preference questions, and WeddingEditor's AI editing makes a Highlight Reel of about 5 minutes or a Social Teaser.
Many families keep this rite private. Ask before you film, and agree what may appear in the edit.
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Last updated October 2026
How to get a highlight of the hair combing
- 1
Upload the night as its own project
Create a project for the hair combing and add its footage: the room being prepared, the candles or items laid out, the bride or groom sitting down, each stroke of the comb, and the family afterwards. If you or a teammate filmed both the bride's and the groom's ceremony, put them in the same project for one edit, or in two projects for two. Clips go in as they are, from every camera.
- 2
Describe the voices
This is a rite of spoken words more than action. Choose More speeches & voices in the audio question, and in the speeches question name who says the blessings and roughly what they mean. In the people question, describe who held the comb and who watched, such as the mother, grandmother or the chosen elder, and what each wore.
- 3
Receive the edit and check the blessings
Buy One Wedding or use a plan credit to start processing, which typically takes 24 to 72 hours. Watch the edit in the app with someone who understands the blessings if you do not, then download the 1080p MP4. Up to two revision rounds by email let you fix a cut that clips a blessing mid sentence.
Moments of the hair combing to list
Details differ by family. These are moments many families include; list only those that happened.
Preparing the room
A new comb, a mirror, red thread or ribbon, and in some families a pair of dragon and phoenix candles lit for the night.
Bathing and new clothes
In some families the bride or groom first bathes in water with pomelo leaves for a fresh start, then changes into new clothes or pajamas. Usually only the moment after, dressed and seated, is filmed.
Sitting by the window
The bride or groom seated facing a window or a mirror, in some families where the moon can be seen, with the family gathered behind.
The four strokes
Each stroke of the comb from the crown to the ends, and the blessing spoken with it. These are the core of the edit, so ask for all four.
Hair pinned or tied
In some families the hair is then tied or pinned up, a sign of the step into married life.
Sweet rice balls
In many families everyone shares sweet glutinous rice balls (tong yuen) afterwards, a wish for a complete and united family.
What happens at a hair combing ceremony, in order
This is a common Cantonese practice, also kept by some families in Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia and the diaspora. Others skip it or hold a shorter version.
1. An auspicious hour
Many families choose the time from the Chinese almanac or with a fortune teller, often late in the evening before the wedding. The bride's and the groom's ceremonies happen separately at their own homes, sometimes at different times.
2. Who combs
The comb is held by a parent, often the mother for the bride, or by a woman chosen because her own life is seen as fortunate, for example a happily married woman with children and living parents. The groom's combing may be done by his father or another chosen elder.
3. Four blessings
With each stroke a blessing is said. A common set wishes the couple to stay together to the end, to grow old together until their hair turns white, to have many children and grandchildren, and a good and long life. Wording differs from family to family.
4. Afterwards
The hair may be tied up, and the family often shares sweet rice balls before everyone rests for the wedding day, which for many begins early the next morning with the door games.
Low light, soft voices
The ceremony is usually at night in a bedroom or living room, lit by lamps or candles, with a few people speaking softly in Cantonese. Choose more speeches and voices in the audio question so the blessings lead and music stays soft beneath them; a camera close to the chair matters here.
One edit per project
The project produces one edit, a Highlight Reel of about 5 minutes or a Social Teaser of the hair combing. WeddingEditor's AI editing makes it and delivers it to your project.
Parts of the hair combing and what to put in the preferences
| Part of the ceremony | What it looks or sounds like | Preference note |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Comb, mirror, candles, the room tidied and lit | "One detail of the comb and the candles before she sits." |
| Seating | The bride or groom by a window or mirror in new clothes | "She is in white pajamas with red slippers." |
| First stroke | The comb from crown to ends, the first blessing spoken | "Keep the first blessing complete, in her grandmother's voice." |
| Second to fourth strokes | Repeated strokes, each with its own wish | "All four strokes, in order, each with its words." |
| Tying the hair | Hair pinned or tied up after the combing | "Include her mother tying her hair." |
| Sweet rice balls | The family sharing a bowl, relaxed talk | "End on her parents sharing the rice balls with her." |
What is the Chinese hair combing ceremony?
The hair combing ceremony is a Cantonese pre-wedding blessing in which the bride and groom, each at home on the night before the wedding, have their hair combed four times while wishes for a long and happy marriage are spoken. A hair combing highlight is a short edit of that rite, made from your footage, that keeps the strokes and blessings in order.
It is not the getting ready footage on the wedding morning, when hair and makeup are done for the day, and not the tea ceremony with the elders. The hair combing is a private family blessing the night before, not a styling session.
Hair combing ceremony video questions
Can I get a highlight of the hair combing alone?
Yes. Give it its own project and upload just that night's footage. Because it is short, a Social Teaser or a Highlight Reel of about 5 minutes are both possible; choose when you create the project.
The room was very dark. What should I do about the look?
WeddingEditor works toward a consistent finished look across lamp and candle light, but it can only use what the camera caught. In your notes, point to the camera that held the faces best in the candlelight.
Will WeddingEditor understand the blessings?
Not on its own; it follows the notes you write. Say who speaks the blessings, roughly when, and that each one must be kept whole, so the cuts fall between blessings rather than through them.
I filmed the bride's and the groom's ceremonies. One edit or two?
Either. Upload both to one project and say how to split time between them, or create two projects if each family wants its own edit. Each project uses its own purchase or credit.
The family wants some moments kept private. How do I make sure?
List them in the avoid question, for example "no shots of her before she changed" or "leave out her aunt crying". The edit leaves out what you name, and you decide what the family sees.
What does a hair combing highlight cost?
One Wedding is $119 one-time for one wedding. Subscribers use a plan credit for the project.
More for Chinese weddings
Four strokes of the comb, every blessing kept whole
Create your account, upload the hair combing as its own project, and note who spoke each blessing.
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