Saturday, May 31, 2014

Angel and Bryan's Cambodian Wedding Processional

After a late night dinner and drinks at China Star, I was surprised to hear that the bride and her entourage managed to get up at 3:30 AM for their hair and makeup session.  There would be lots of traditional Cambodian wedding ceremonies today, starting with the groom's procession.



It's customary for the groom and his family to bring the whole "village" to the bride's house and shower her family with dowries and gifts consisting of roasted ducks, pigs, cognac, fruits and vegetables.  The location of the ceremony couldn't be more scenic and beautiful.





The beautiful bride glanced out the window as the guests lined up for the procession.


The Cambodian musician leaded the groom's family towards the house where they waited for the bride to come out.





Followed by her beautiful bridesmaids, Angel went out to meet Bryan and they both exchanged flower leis. The Cambodian "Flower Girl" had a mini meltdown but she was too cute so I couldn't resist taking a picture.



Once they entered the house, the band continued playing their traditional musical instruments.


The Gong is vital in all Cambodian wedding ceremonies.


Mera wanted to be part of the wedding band.



Once the couple enters the house, they pray to the bride's parents while guests prepare for the other ceremonies.


This plant is significant in Cambodian weddings and it had to be smuggled across the borders from their relatives that resides in Florida.


Similar to Chinese traditions, it is also common to receive gifts in red envelopes from older relatives.


The dowries are sorted it out to be counted by the bride's family in another part of the ceremony.  It's not to be taken seriously and it's more of a comic relief.



There's a lot of downtime between the changing and the ceremonies.  The bridal party tries to keep busy by grabbing a quick bite, taking selfies or playing video games on their iPhone.







Stay tuned for the next ceremony! 

In case you missed it...
Angel and Bryan's Praying Ceremony