Cambodian Wedding - Day 2

As the evening of 'Day' 1 of the wedding wore on, we noticed people arriving with bags of fruit and produce, which they started arranging on gold and silver-coloured trays.  Our friend, Tee Tee, explained the tradition and  told us to be ready at 7:00 am to join in the morning ritual. 


Early in the morning of 'Day 2' of the Cambodian wedding, the groom's family brings offerings to the bride's family.  (I believe this is symbolic of  a dowry.)  In years gone by the groom would traditionally bring 36 different kinds of fruit.  (In this tropical climate, that's probably not too difficult to come up with.)  Nowadays, the trays are filled with fruit, vegetables, meat, noodles, cookies...even cans of Coke and beer.

When we arrived, there were chairs lined up with all
the trays of offerings.

This pig's head, with a thin membranous layer over it
sat on the last chair 

Gordon wanted to carry the pig's head...

....but Choeun, our friend & tuk-tuk driver, got the honours.

Instead, Gordon carried a big plate of fresh raw pork
with a huge rind of fat and skin

....and I got to carry 4 cans of Coke.
Well, things go better with Coke!

At the head of the procession was the groom and his family

This little princess carried a covered jar,
but I don't know what was inside

Our procession was accompanied by
traditional Cambodian music

Once we arrived at the bride's home, we were given some party favours,
and we were seated, but we kept our offerings on our laps

A young man and woman brought out two baskets and
collected fruits from the various trays into the baskets.

The bride arrives in her gorgeous golden outfit.
Isn't she beautiful! 

She asks for a blessing from her parents and
gives them some garlands

The groom meets the bride outside the building and
they exchanged garlands.
We were still seated indoors.

The groom and bride re-entered the building and
bowed before the groom's parents.
I think this might be symbolic for the groom presenting his new bride to them.

After this ceremony, we all sat down to eat breakfast.  It was a congee of rice, vegetables and seafood.  I was content to eat fruit and some really neat cookies which I can only describe as dried out French cruellers.  Delicious!  We headed back to our guesthousele after the breakfast. 

To be quite honest, I'm not exactly sure when this couple actually became man and wife.  I know it didn't happen until sometime during the second day.  We were invited for the big wedding reception that evening.  It was a gala event not to be missed! 

We had our picture take outside the hall. 
I was wearing the beaded outfit I'd had made
for the wedding we attended last year.
Next to Gordon is Hahn, the doctor from Oregon
and next to Hahn is Moira, a volunteer from the UK

The bride and groom

Check out her ankle bracelets!

While dinner was being served, there was a floor show
with music and dance.  Very entertaining.
It was an 8-course dinner.  Lots of food, and plenty of beer!

This young man did a lip-sync performance of
Michael Jackson.  Very, very good!

Then the dancing began.
Notice the men wear casual shirts & pants,
but the women wear formal dresses

Most of their dancing (even the rock songs)  are done with
Apsara hand movements which are quite graceful.
It's quite usual for men to dance together, but not touching..

It's OK for women to dance together too.

This elderly couple stole the show.

It was a HUGE hall, and there were probably about 800 guests.    You must be wondering how the couple can afford a wedding this elaborate?  They rely on generous wedding gifts.  Here in Cambodia, the traditional gift is money and there are envelopes on each table for that purpose.  And so we wondered how much to give?  A good question....

  Our friend and tuk-tuk driver told us he usually gives $15, which is probaby at least a week's salary for him, so we gauged ourselves by his measuring stick.  Prom has been such a good friend to us, and we were so honoured to be a part of his wedding.  It was such a great experience and we had so much fun!

Congratulations Prom and Sreymau.  Obah sa-toh!

Cambodian Wedding - Day 1

We had the privilege of being invited to a Cambodian wedding. 

The invitation

It's a colourful event, steeped in tradition, both new and old, and a combination of Eastern and Western practices.  In early days, Cambodian weddings used to last 7 days, but now, due to busy schedules, they usually last only 2 days.


Day 1 of Prom and Sreymau's wedding began at 8 am on Saturday (Feb 12), when they went to Angkor Wat for photos.  I'm sure they were up much earlier getting dressed and made up.  The women especially are elaborately made-up with false eyelashes, a ton of cosmetics, and big hair with added hairpieces.  Only close family attended the first half of the day.


At around 4 pm, a tuk-tuk drove us to the wedding site.  Loud traditional wedding music was our signal that we were getting near.  A large tent was erected outside with pictures of the bride and groom on either side.

Pictures of the couple outside the tent to make sure you're at the right wedding
Good to have in case you can't read Khmer (or maybe just can't read)

When we arrived, we were seated in the front row.  The bride and groom were already seated on a stage.

Sreymau & Prom

I went to check out the traditional Cambodian musical instruments.  Here are a few.  There was also a second 'violin' some tiny cymbal/bells, and a singer.  The music sounds similar to Indian music, but different.  Click on the link above to check it out.

A kind of violin with 3 strings

A zither-like instrument



Stringed instrument played with metal sticks

We were surprised when we were invited to partake in the 'hair cutting' ceremony, which is traditionally reserved for family and elders.  In earlier days, the participants actually cut the bride and groom's hair, but today it is done symbolically with gilded instruments.  We pretended to comb and cut their hiar with scissors and a comb, then sprayed it with perfume, then dipped water on their fingertips (painting their nails, maybe?), then showed them their reflections in a mirror.

Dan 'painting' Prom's fingertips

Me & Gordon, the master groomers

Showing the bride her reflection in a mirror

Then it was time for a photo shoot.

The bride and groom in traditional Cambodian costume

The wedding party

Me and Gordon get our photo with the bride and groom
as honoured guests.

Shortly afterward, five monks arrived, and I sneaked inside to get a view of this part of the ceremony.

The monks chanted for a long time

The group joined in.
(Notice the wedding party has changed outfits)



The bride and groom receive blessings

 While we were inside, tables were being set up in the tent for the meal.  The bride and groom got casual, and enjoyed the meal.  There was a lot of good food, including chunks of sweet & sour chicken.  I got the head (beak and all), and shared it with Gordon.

Sreymau in her 'jammies'

Dessert wrapped in banana leaves

Inside is a warm rice 'jelly' with a sweet bean in the centre



  After the meal, the wedding party got back into their 'cake cutting ceremony' clothes.  This part is a mixture of Eastern & Western traditions.

The bride & groom's third outfit since I've arrived

The wedding party in white & red

We were given Cambodian jasmine flowers to shower the bride and groom

and sparklers to light their way to the table to cut the cake


...then showered them with silling string and crazy foam (a Cambodian thing)



After removing most of the silly string, they cut the cake...

....fed some to each other..

..then kissed.
First on both cheeks....

...then the forehead.
No lips touching here.

The groom with his three kisses

  Then it was party time!

Our table
Bring on the beer!

'Tee Tee' and 'Tee' (maybe spelled Thy?)

Tee gets smeared with cake icing (by Tee Tee)

Green mango plucked off a tree outside
Dipped in chili & salt, it goes great with beer

Beer cans under the table......

I love the casualness of Cambodia.  It extends even into formal situations like weddings.  Need some green mango to go with that beer?  Go out to the yard and pick one off the tree.  Dog in the bride & groom's path to the wedding cake?  No problem, we can wait until he gets out of the way.  No room for your moto on the road?  Sure, go ahead, park it next to your table.  Nobody will mind.  Wedding outfit getting a little uncomfortable?  Get into your jammies for dinner, then get into the next change of clothes later. 

The only part I've found wearisome so far at this two day wedding is the photographers.  At every turn, they've stopped the wedding party mid-action to get people to 'hold that pose', 'turn your toes in more, please', 'take that one more time', etc.  Their bright lights have been hot and blinding, and their equipment and bodies have obscured the view for the wedding-goers.  Oh sure, I understand  they want to capture those special moments for the couple, but when it becomes a photo-shoot rather than a ceremony, the meaning and solemnity somehow gets lost (for me anyways).  And therein lies the difference between me and Cambodians, and what I love so much about them - They are so accepting about everything, they probably don't even notice.