This was our first wedding. The lady next to me is our neighbor. This was her son's wedding.
We have been to four weddings in the past four weeks! This is obviously a very popular season for weddings. Weddings are a very big occasion in Lao, maybe even more so than in the States. Every wedding we've been to has been much bigger than most I have attended back home.
This was a wedding out in a village.
For Buddhist weddings, usually only the family attends the ceremony, which is a time of string tying and giving of blessings for the couple. Afterwards, there is a big dinner party, which is where the invited guests attend. There are hundreds of tables set up with either food set out on the tables or a buffet. At the entrance of the party, you're greeted with a shot of liquor. There is a place to put your envelop with your enclosed wedding offering, which is hand delivered to your house with your invitation to the wedding. It also has your name printed on it, so it's best to be generous with your gift!
The bride and groom of our first wedding to attend. Their wedding attire is beautiful.
There is either a band playing live music or a dj playing songs and lots of dancing. The Lao have there own style of dancing called fawn, which I've tried once and don't plan on doing again in public until I've practiced in private:)
This is Beth doing a Lao line dance.
The Christian weddings we've attended have ceremonies that many guests attend, not just family. The bride walks the aisle, they have a pastor perform the ceremony, and they light a unity candle. At the end, they give gifts to the pastors and some of the family members. The after party is the same, but they usually don't serve alcohol.
I know this is hard to look at sideways, but I couldn't get it to rotate:( I just wanted everyone to see the fancy skirts we get to wear to weddings. It's so fun because most of the women go get their nails and hair done. Beth and I have gone together twice already to get our hair done for weddings.
