Never mind getting up at 6am! For my Uncle Meng’s wedding, we had to arrive at 6am fully dressed in traditional Khmer attire, with hair and make-up done. (Thankfully, it only cost here $5 to get hair and make-up done professionally).
My Uncle Meng from California came to marry his Cambodian fiancée who resides in Phnom Penh. Fortunately, our trip coincided with his wedding which also luckily meant we got to meet up with members of ma’s U.S. family who flew over for it, including Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Leng, Auntie Laura and Uncle Tom.
Since it was going to be a traditional wedding, we had to get traditional clothing to wear for the morning ceremony. Traditional, female Cambodian attire demands very bright colours, a skirt made of hand-woven silk, and a blouse consisting of sheer cloth over solid silk fabric both a lighter hue than the skirt. (I didn’t own any Cambodian clothing before the wedding, and I’m not sure it’s even sold anywhere in Canada).
Yesterday, my Auntie Hour ran around town with ma and me to pick our cloths and to find a custom tailor who could sew our clothes within the next 12 hours. While my outfit came out looking beautiful, the beads on ma’s blouse fell off as the morning progressed leaving loose threads to hang from random places and ma incredibly embarrassed. Needless to say, she tossed the blouse and we laughed.
After a long morning ceremony, we return home to change into our evening attire. I didn’t realize we had to change, thinking we could wear the same Cambodian dress all day. Thankfully, I had picked up a dress and a pair of matching shoes for a total of $15 in Thailand. The shoes were incredibly comfortable heels. I could dance the twist in them!
Uncle Leng and I (both from North America) howled when the wedding band sang the twist in Khmer. In front of the 700 guests in attendance, Uncle Leng and I jived to the music alone on the dance floor. Guests video-taped our moves. I also learned, for the first time, to dance to Khmer music. I think this might have been more entertaining for the guests to watch. It was a fun day and night.
My Uncle Meng from California came to marry his Cambodian fiancée who resides in Phnom Penh. Fortunately, our trip coincided with his wedding which also luckily meant we got to meet up with members of ma’s U.S. family who flew over for it, including Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Leng, Auntie Laura and Uncle Tom.
Since it was going to be a traditional wedding, we had to get traditional clothing to wear for the morning ceremony. Traditional, female Cambodian attire demands very bright colours, a skirt made of hand-woven silk, and a blouse consisting of sheer cloth over solid silk fabric both a lighter hue than the skirt. (I didn’t own any Cambodian clothing before the wedding, and I’m not sure it’s even sold anywhere in Canada).
Yesterday, my Auntie Hour ran around town with ma and me to pick our cloths and to find a custom tailor who could sew our clothes within the next 12 hours. While my outfit came out looking beautiful, the beads on ma’s blouse fell off as the morning progressed leaving loose threads to hang from random places and ma incredibly embarrassed. Needless to say, she tossed the blouse and we laughed.
After a long morning ceremony, we return home to change into our evening attire. I didn’t realize we had to change, thinking we could wear the same Cambodian dress all day. Thankfully, I had picked up a dress and a pair of matching shoes for a total of $15 in Thailand. The shoes were incredibly comfortable heels. I could dance the twist in them!
Uncle Leng and I (both from North America) howled when the wedding band sang the twist in Khmer. In front of the 700 guests in attendance, Uncle Leng and I jived to the music alone on the dance floor. Guests video-taped our moves. I also learned, for the first time, to dance to Khmer music. I think this might have been more entertaining for the guests to watch. It was a fun day and night.
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