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Thailand:
A Romantic Wedding Destination
Written by
Somchit Srimoon Lanna
Weddings Chiang Mai, Thailand
What makes
Thailand a most romantic wedding destination are it's culture
and people. The people are friendly and welcoming to everyone,
but particularly to couples coming to Thailand and get married
in Thai style. They are proud to have couples from all over the
world come here and get married, as they take it as a complement
to their culture and country. Even though, it is till a rare
thing for western couples to come to get married here in
Thailand.
The Thai Buddhist Wedding
There are several distinctive parts to a traditional Thai
wedding.
The Morning offering: Is the ceremonial giving of food to
the Buddhist monks, in the very early morning. This is done to
create merit and bring good luck to the new couple.
The Monk's Blessing: This is a general blessing and is
preformed before the community blessing. It is done at home or
in a temple, depending on where in Thailand you get married.
This unique opportunity to partake in the cultural experience of
receiving a Buddhist blessing in a Thai temple should not be
missed if possible. Often westerners find it quite spiritual.
The community blessing or Knot Tying Ceremony: Is when
the "real Thai" wedding is performed. It is the local community
and family members gathering together to witness the union of
the couple. The couple will be literally tied together at the
wrists and the heads to symbolize their joining of minds and
bodies as one. Then the community elders, family and friends
will tie more threads on the couples wrists and offer blessings
and words of advice and wisdom.
The bedroom: The couple will be lead to the nuptial
bedroom by the wedding guests to approve of their matrimonial
bed. Then the door will be closed on the couple and with that
the marriage is sealed and the feasting can begin.
The Thai Christian Wedding
Thai culture has influenced the Christian wedding ceremonies
here as well. Many of the traditions of Thailand have been
intertwined in their Christian weddings, offering uniquely warm
Christian weddings. Couples often give food or donations to
orphanages or schools before their wedding, for good luck, or as
a spirit of giving. The priest may even rap the couple's hands
together with a sash while the wedding service is being
performed, somewhat in keeping with the Thai Buddhist tradition.
You will find that any wedding ceremony in Thailand is filled
with deep rooted traditions, never impersonal but simply warm,
meaningful and romantic.
The legalities
You must be at least 20 years of age and not divorced less then
310 days, to make it easy!
You will find the paperwork takes some planning and a visit to
your local consulate or embassy in Thailand. You need your
embassies permission to marry in Thailand (so contact them
directly about specific requirements for your country). Once you
have your embassies permission, there are many services that
will happily do the Thai paperwork for you. You will need to be
in Thailand a couple of working days to get all the paperwork
processed. It will be worth the effort. Then you need to go in
person to a registrar office in Thailand and sign the marriage
certificate. The registrar will issue on site the wedding
certificate. Best you get a stamped translation of it, as most
other countries can't read Thai, but it is a legally recognized
marriage, by almost all countries.
The Honeymoon
Thailand may be one of the best honeymoon spots with beautiful
beaches, exotic locals, friendly people and world class resorts
which are very affordable, tempting you to extend your honeymoon
even longer than your boss may appreciate.
Thailand is portrayed in travel magazines as exotic and it is.
The real Thai wedding is no exception to this image. It is a
colorful and meaningful ceremony that is inspiring. You owe it
to your love to have more than just another resort wedding.
Have a real Thai traditional wedding!
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