The Marriage of Vanapha & Matthew

MORNING CEREMONY
10:30 in the morning in Downey, California

We have chosen to reflect the multi-cultural background in the outfits we'll wear. During the morning event, Matthew and I will be dressed in traditional Thai wedding clothes.

Door Game
On the day of the wedding, the groom and the groomsmen go to the bride's house to pick her up. Before he can see his bride, the bridesmaids (the bride's friends) make him perform a series of silly tests to prove himself "worthy" of his bride. The tests can be anything that will force him to show his love, from physical feats to singing songs. The final test, though, is whether or not he brought "good luck" for the bridesmaids, usually contained in red envelopes full of money or small gifts for the girls. Then, the groom is allowed entry into the home where he finds his bride, hidden away in her bridal room.

Tea Ceremony
Now, they begin they begin the Tea Ceremony, which symbolizes the wedding ceremony. The couple starts with the bride's family first, where the bride and groom serve the parents and family members tea and receive gifts.

The general rule is to have the woman on the left side and the man on the right side. The people being served will sit in chairs, while the bride and groom kneel. For example, when the newlyweds serve tea to the bride’s parents, the bride would kneel in front of her father, while the groom would kneels in front of his mother-in-law.

The newlyweds serve tea in order, starting with the bride’s parents then proceeding from the oldest family members to the youngest, e.g. the bride’s parents, then her paternal grandparents, then her maternal grandparents, then her oldest uncles and aunts, and all the way to her older brother. In return, the newlyweds receive lucky red envelopes stuffed with money or jewelry. These envelopes are placed on the platter which holds the teacups.

The couple then moves to the groom's family's home, where the same ritual is performed, ending again with money and jewelry.