Laos Travel Guide: Encountering a Traditional Lao Wedding

What are Laotian weddings like? We were very lucky to encounter a friend of a friend's wedding during our travels in Pakse, Laos, and were invited to attend. Laotian weddings are very traditional and lively. The bride and groom wear gorgeous traditional costumes, with the bride's hair tied up in a high bun and adorned with gold and silver jewelry. They half-kneel in the center of the hall, facing a room full of flowers and an elder who presides over the ceremony. Behind them, the parents of the newlyweds also half-kneel, along with 20 or so relatives and friends who have come to bless the couple. I noticed that among the flowers there was a bundle of cash, probably around 50-60 thousand . I heard from a friend that it was a gift for the girl's parents to repay them for raising her. The host's ceremony is quite cumbersome. After reciting for a long time, the knot-tying ceremony begins. First, the bride and groom are tied together with white cotton thread, then their parents are tied together, and finally, each guest takes a white rope and ties it to the bride and groom's hands, with cash attached to the white rope, which is also a form of blessing. What's particularly interesting is that this couple met while studying abroad in China, and later worked together. China played the role of matchmaker for them, so they took a Chinese-style wedding photo. And Laotians are also very interested in Chinese culture. The Chinese yuan is also in circulation, so many people at the scene gave their gifts in yuan. After the ceremony, the group of men will start teasing the groom with various brushes and laundry detergent, saying that he should take care of all the household chores after getting married. This wedding was an unexpected surprise during our trip to Laos. The locals were very friendly to us. What do you think of this traditional wedding? If you have time, would you like to travel to Laos?