Living as a Single Farang in the Jungle: Traditional Thai Marriage, the Wedding Feast (2)
This report is a follow up to the previous entry on the traditional wedding ceremony.
After the traditional ceremonial ceremonies, it's time to party. In this case it was a grand celebration with about 350 invited guests. The guests were expected, according to the invitation card, at 18.00 pm. There were 40 covered and decorated 10-person tables. Even the plastic chairs were dressed.
At the entrance was a long table, occupied by a few young relatives. The incoming guests were welcomed by them and asked to write their name, possibly with a message, in the appropriate guest book. Here they also received a small gift as a memento of this party. In this case it was a coffee cup, with the names of the bride and groom on it, and a gold-colored teaspoon.
At the end of the table was a gift box in the shape of a heart in which the guests put their gift, in the shape of an envelope; could deposit. There was also a couple of young relatives here to receive any other gifts.
After this reception you end up with the bridal couple, congratulations were received and … yes yes … everyone had to be photographed. From here it went towards the dining room. Contrary to what we are used to in the West, the arriving guests were able to provide themselves with food immediately. This is in the form of a large buffet with a choice of different dishes. So no fixed menu as is usually the case in the West. So there was no waiting until just about everyone is present to start the meal.
The time span between the first and the last arriving guests was about two hours. After almost everyone was inside, the bridal couple was escorted to the stage. (Meanwhile they had not yet enjoyed the meal themselves) Here, first the bride and then the groom told those present why they were married to each other. There was regular laughter during this speech as the bride had a good sense of humour. The fathers of both spouses also spoke.
After this outpouring, the giant wedding cake with several floors was cut by the bridal couple. The knife was used by both together. Thus, only 2 pieces were cut and these two pieces went to the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom. The rest of the cake was cut by the kitchen staff. At each table, the bridal couple personally served 1 piece of the cake to the eldest or most distinguished person seated at the table. The rest was served by the staff.
After all this, the guests talked a bit and at 22.00:XNUMX pm it was over, everyone had already left or was leaving anyway. After serving the cake, the bridal couple was already ready at the exit to thank the guests for their presence. In the meantime they themselves had not yet eaten a bite, nor of the banquet, nor of the cake itself.
Lung addie has not seen a wedding party with cheerful music and dance here …. In fact, by our standards a clear deficiency because we Westerners love to take a step on the dance floor, especially at a wedding party that can stretch into the early morning.
Review: this was a report of a HISO Thai-Thai wedding party. With ordinary people it is completely different. No drunken situations here, although every table was well stocked with the necessary alcoholic drink, especially Whiskey from "Johny de Wandelaar", then Blue Label! Nice experience, that was it.