More Wedding!

When I wrote the last blog, it occured to me that your first thought was I would write about Greg's upcoming wedding! But that will be after Dec. 15! Anyway, here is a couple more pics about Vanny's wedding. The average Khmer wedding lasts all day and starts early in the morning with a walk down the street to represent guests coming to the ceremony. Everyone is carrying gifts that are provided by the bride's family. Then pretty much the rest of the day is eating and different cermonies that only the family is involved with. In the first picture, is the exchanging of the rings. The family is sitting with the groom in front of his parents and the bride in front of hers. Any other members finishing the circle. Outside, under a tent, the guests are coming and going after eating the rice soup in the second picture. Then they bring out the fruit platters (in the first pic, on the floor) and serve to the guests. The big dinner is later in the day at a local hotel. The bride's family pays for all of this along with a bride dowry to the groom's family. Vanny's family is able to pay for this more elaborate festivity. The guests give money as gifts to help defray the cost of the wedding. What is interesting is they don't really have one ceremony that the guests stay to watch which unites the bride and groom. The monk will chant blessings throughout the day, but the various ceremonies will unite the two. gail