A modern Cambodian wedding has traditional elements of Cambodian culture including a condensed version of the wedding ceremonies. The reception is Westernized, which means it is generally not held at an Asian restaurant or banquet hall. Often times a Western ceremony is also performed at the reception venue or in a church setting. The Cambodian wedding and reception is celebrated in one day instead of 2-3 days. In a previous post I blogged about why we choose to go the modern route. It was important to us and our families to include only the ceremonies we considered important. Below is our Cambodian wedding program with a time line of our wedding day from start to finish.
Traditional Cambodian Wedding 8:30 Am - 1:00 PM @t Parent's Home
(Location traditionally takes place on the bride's side)
6:00 AM
- Hair & Make Up for Bride & Bridal Party
- Groomsmen get ready too
- Photographers arrive
8:00 AM
- Day of Coordinators arrive
8:15 AM
- Bride & Groom 1st outfit change
- Bridal party 1st and only outfit change
8:30 AM
- Blessings from the Monk or Soat Mun
- Bride & Groom 2nd outfit change. Hair and Make up Touch ups
- Call to Ancestors
- Pairing Ceremony or Knot Tying Ceremony
Blessings along with money and jewelry are given during the The Knot Tying ceremony
Palm flower seedsWe did not have the groom's procession. This is when the groom and his groomsmen parade down the street with friends and family in tow - carrying fruits and gifts wrapped in bright colors to the bride's home. It is definitely a spectacular sight to behold but my hubby and I decided not to have this ceremony as it was more for show than anything else. We also did not want the presentation of dowry, a complex and lengthy ceremony to perform. We skipped the hair cutting ceremony aka the Cleansing ceremony (sometimes this entails washing your future husband's feet!) and the Tea Ceremony, which is a great way for Cambodian Chinese couples to observe their Chinese heritage.
Originally we planned to perform this ceremony but alas time was not on our side so the very expensive fine China tea set I received as a gift from my husband did not get used. I really wanted to honor each of our parents and pay respect to our Chinese roots. So in total we had 3 ceremonies with bits and pieces of cultural love here and there. My husband's cousin married us at the Western ceremony. He also provided music with his flute at our Cambodian ceremony. It was such a special blessing for us because it made our wedding so warm and personal. We never felt so much love.
Dry palms with Bird of Paradise for the ceremony centerpieces
Many of the fruits symbolize fertility. The Cambodian eggplant (round with green and white stripe marks) are called "trop" in Khmer. The word sounds similar to the Khmer word for"Fortune" so it is always part of the dowry presentation.
Tips
- Keep it simple. Save time and money by selecting only to wear 1 or 2 outfits. Stay with one bridal look for your Cambodian ceremony.
- Choose outfits that will not only look good on you but your groom too. I would avoid overtly feminine colours like pink and purple. There are colors that might not work on some complexions - like lime green. Blue, Red, Gold & White are gender neutral. It is best to select the outfits in advance to ensure proper fitting.
-You don't need to hire live musicians for the ceremony. The cost of this service can exceed $1,000. The Cambodian coordinator/stylist or Priest should be able to provide recorded music as part of their services. Each ceremony has its own song so you will only need songs for the ceremony you selected.
- Decor should be bright and bold to represent the richness of Cambodian culture. Silver and Gold are found in many of the decor pieces and traditional clothing worn during the ceremony.
- The flowers should compliment the decor. Look for blooms with a Asian flair like Oriental Lily, Orchids and exotic Bird of Paradise and Plumeria. Roses and Carnations are also ideal because they come in a myriad of colours. Greenery like bear grass, palm leaves, ti leaves or banana leaves (can be found frozen in the Asian grocery store) make nice full fillers too. Dracaena also known as Lucky Bamboo also make beautiful arrangements. Palm Flower seeds will be needed for tossing. My mother-in-law was kind enough to bring it over from California. Some Asian markets will have them available too.
- Prepare yourself for a long day by getting plenty of rest the night before. I know this is easier said than done but you definitely want to wake up feeling refresh and energize. I took 10mg of melatonin the night before the wedding to help ease my nerves so I could fall asleep. Melatonin is naturally found in the body and is safe and non-habit forming.
12:30 PM
- Lunch
- Formal Portraits
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
- Cinematographer Arrives
- Personal Flowers delivered
- Resting
- Hair & Make Up/Getting Ready for Reception
- Travel
- Vendors Arrive to set up
- Bridal Portraits with Bridal Party
Western Ceremony & Reception 6:00 PM - 11:30 PM @t Easton Beach Rotunda
6:00 PM
- Processional
6:15 PM
- Recessional
6:30 PM
- Cocktail hour
7:20 PM
- Introductions
7:30 PM
- First Dance
- Dinner
8:15 PM
- Dancing
- Cake Cutting
8:45 PM
- More Dancing
- Private Portrait Session: Bride and Groom
- Meet & Greet with guests
(Bride and Groom with their bridal party visits each table to collect gifts and thank guests)
11:00 PM
- Bar Closes
11:30 PM
- Reception Ends
12:00 AM
- DOC drives us to our hotel for the night :-)
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