Wedding Pictures

A few pictures from Khang’s sister’s wedding. It was an interesting ceremony. A mix of things, I think including MC’s and confetti. But it was lovely and fun. Beautiful to see the more traditional of the ceremonies.

At the wedding party in Saigon. The bride and groom with mothers beside. Confetti in the air, entered so by a startling bang.

The bride’s house was all decked out for a ceremony where the groom and his family would drive from their home (three hours distant) to pick up the bride and take her back to the family’s home. Gate covered in beautiful leaves wrapped intricately around bamboo (lLeaves special to this ceremony). White balloons on strings everywhere. Cat and Khang being tourists. Nate and I were part of one of the ceremonies. Seven men from the groom’s family (usually women do it, but there weren’t enough women in Khang’s family) walk up to us, single-file like, carrying boxes/containers draped in red and gold cloth. We wait facing each other in the sun for pictures to be taken. They are then handed across. We turn and walk them into the house. I got the heavy one. They contained food eaten during the talk between the families that morning.

In the groom-family’s house. A beautiful ao dai (traditional dress) made by the bride’s best friend. Intricate and delicate. The red covered table is an offering to the ancestors, in front of which the husband-and-wife-to-be pray with incense. There were a few amazing old Vietnamese ladies sitting at tables. Family members of the groom in beautiful ao dai. I didn’t think it appropriate to take a picture of them even though I really wanted to. They were so wizened and proper, with kind eyes and beautiful lines on their faces from years of smiling, scolding. Something about this ceremony I found incredibly romantic - after all the speeches and ceremony were through downstairs the groom's mother and grandmother went up stairs and made the groom's bed for one last time. Isn't that just an incredibly romantic and powerful image ?

The first course of the meal. A total of seven courses, I believe. An amazing spread. Nate and I didn’t quite get seven courses in our little vegetarian corner, but we still had at least four. What surprised me most about the wedding was that after each table finished their meal people vacated their tables. I looked around and wondered where they all went. Home. No dancing, no imbibing alcohol til the cows come home (lots of alcohol was drunk, don’t get me wrong, but it was done during the meal).

So it was great fun. Not exactly a traditional wedding, but elements of tradition were woven in.

Mark.