This is the fourth and final post about my 1993 trip to Cambodia.  Earlier posts dealt with daily street scenes in Phnom Penh, visible reminders of the war years, and a trip into the Cambodian countryside.

The primary reason I went to Cambodia in 1993 was to attend the wedding of a good friend.  He had gone to Cambodia the previous year, not long after the country opened up to the outside world, to teach English under the sponsorship of an American university.  While there, he grew close to a young Cambodian woman who worked at the institute where he taught.  Soon, the two of them fell in love, and they married in March, 1993. 

Once I learned of the wedding plans, I cashed in frequent flyer miles for a flight to Bangkok.  From there, it was a short flight to Phnom Penh, and to a world utterly foreign to anything I had experienced before.

Most traditional Khmer weddings used to last three days.  Nowadays, a two day ceremony is much more common.

The first day was largely a family affair, with few invited guests.  I attended most of the events that day, but did not take photos.  Two Buddhist priests led a low key religious ceremony, and offered blessings to the couple and their families.  This took place in the bride’s home.  Everyone sat on the floor, taking special care to sit in such a way that their heads were not elevated higher than the heads of the priests.  I know this was an important issue, since I was sternly reminded of that rule by one of the priests early in the ceremony.  Oops. 

During this first day, I was suffering from fairly intense jet lag (and some abdominal issues I prefer not to recall), and as a result I don’t remember many of the day’s events.  I do remember the string ceremony.  At one point, the couple tied strings around their wrists, symbolizing the fact that they were being joined together as one. 

Fortunately, I was able to take a lot of photos the second day, and my memory of that day is much better.  It was the second day that was most fun and colorful.  The pictures below were taken on that festive second day of the wedding ceremony.

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At 6:00 AM, guests representing the groom began to gather outside his house with a bounty of fruits, meats, pastries, sweets, beverages, and household items.  The foodstuffs have largely replaced the traditional dowry, and are used to feed the family and guests throughout the ceremony.

The groom and his party line up for a procession to the bride’s home.  The groom began the day dressed in western attire.  Had he been Cambodian, he would likely have started the day dressed in traditional Khmer garments.

The quantity of food and gifts was truly impressive.  The guests pick out different food items and gifts to carry in the procession.  Poorer Cambodians may only have 10 trays of food and gifts.  Wealthier grooms might provide as many as 200 or more trays.

Musicians joined the procession, and played traditional Khmer music on the walk to the bride’s home.

Once the procession reached the bride’s home, the bride presented the groom a lei, and he returned the favor.

Later, all of the gifts are laid out in the bride’s home.  The groom greets his new family and the couple offers blessings for all the gifts.  After blessings, they have breakfast together.

What’s a wedding without a pig’s head?

The couple disappeared briefly, and re-emerged dressed in new attire.

Soon came the hair cutting ceremony.  This is a fun and lighthearted affair where family and friends cut lockets of hair from the couple.  The first to cut hair is the matriarch of the bride’s family.  In the photo above, the bride’s mother is snipping a locket from her daughter, and will soon do the same with the groom.  This is repeated by other family members and friends, while a master of ceremonies and his partner tease the couple and sing fun songs.

Another change of clothes takes place.  In attire fit for Khmer royalty, the couple shows off the bedroom where they will spend their wedding night, and feed one another fruit that was brought during the morning procession.  Note the straw in their hair that was playfully tossed on them shortly before entering their new room.

As the day progresses, more wardrobe changes take place.  As I recall, the bride wore a total of eight different silk outfits for the wedding.  In some Cambodian weddings, there may be as many as 10 different bridal gowns.  The picture above shows the bride and her bridesmaids.

Following yet another change of clothes, the wedding party prepares for the reception line.  The tables in the background are lined up on the street where the bride’s family lives.  The block was closed to traffic, while all the guests enjoyed a true feast, with traditional Khmer food, fruits, beer, and rice wine.  Just as in an American wedding reception, there is music and dancing far into the night.

The couple is presented to their guests one last time before retiring to their room in the home of the bride’s family.  It is traditional for Cambodian newlyweds to live with the bride’s family for some time.

After another year in Cambodia, my friends moved to Buffalo, NY, where they lived for about a year.  For the past 15 years they have lived in Southern California, and are proud parents of a beautiful teenaged daughter.