In old Tibet, many aristocrats lived in Lhasa. They regarded marriages as the links between the families with similar status, and therefore made the marriage customs very sophisticated. There were many rules, including different kinds of etiquettes and taboos, stipulated for different steps from choosing a spouse to courtship, to engagement and to the wedding and post-wedding. Such were holdovers from traditional marriage customs. With the economic and social development, these customs have been changed correspondingly.

Nowadays the youngsters in Lhasa basically decide their romance and marriage themselves, thus saving a lot of procedures such as the proposal and etc. So long as the young couple love each other, their parents generally are supportive. However the Tibetan families always pay high attention to the wedding. Several things must be prepared well in advance: the tent with decorative curtains, highland barley wine, buttered tea and beef and mutton, because all these symbolize the traditions and features of Tibetan marriage. On the wedding day, not only the groom and bride, but also all the participants, as long as they are Tibetan, will all attire in the luxuriant folk costumes. At the stipulated time, the relatives and friends of the newlyweds will receive the guests beside the tent. After all the guests arrive, the newlyweds and their parents will take seats. Then follows the formal wedding ceremony: the chairperson declares the opening of the ceremony; the monks or the prestigious persons will chant mantras to bless the young couple. The guests will offer the ceremonial scarves to the newlywed and their parents. Songs and dances will be performed. Some recreational programs are to be played. The newlyweds toast for all the guest, and the newlyweds present the guests with the ceremonial scarves. The wedding takes one day, or even several days. If the wedding last several days, then the newlywed will toast for the guests and present the scarves only on the last day.

A traditional wedding is today added with many modern elements. First of all, the wedding venue is more flexible, which may be the ballroom or hotel and not necessarily the home of the groom or bride. The tent may be rented. Secondly, the dresses are also more flexible, which are not necessarily the Tibetan style. Thirdly, besides highland barley wine and buttered tea, beer and alcohol are also served. Buffet style has come into fashion. Also, the recreational programs become more and more modernized. In addition to the traditional songs and dances, modern ones are also performed. Cards and mahjong are played. Now the mahjong playing takes most of the time during the wedding, and even saves many traditional procedures.