American ceremony (left) v. Laotian ceremony (right)

With Spring in the air and wedding season just beginning to bloom, I was fortunate to attend two weddings this past weekend, both completely different in cultural origins.  First off, your traditional American wedding, complete with elegant white dress, ridiculously cute flower girl, and traditional vows. Having been to quite a few of these, I think the ceremony itself has become quite stale and repetitive. Not to discredit the new Mr. and Mrs. Smith (real names), the ceremony was nice, elegant and quick. Sweet. But if you’re looking for something spicy…

Head hens at Laomerican reception

Enter Laos. A small country in Southeast Asia. This group of people are usually overlooked and lumped into the Pan-Asian category save Kahn Souphanousinphone of King of the Hill. This was actually my very first Laotian wedding experience and the tradition was abundant. Upon arrival, the groom was showered with decadence, bombarded with Laotian women yelling at him in tongue. The traditional feet washing before entering the bride’s house was priceless, only to be rivaled by the clueless expressions on the groom’s face. After an hour of monk chants, string tying, and foreign languages being tossed back and forth in the room, the party started. Neighbors from all over little Laos a.k.a. Saginaw, Texas were there to gamble, eat, and drink in celebration.

Videographer J. Logan and his date?

The reception was a cultural shock in itself. With whites and yellows mixing, the awkardness and tension was felt by all.  Predicting such, the groom & bride pre-ordered many cases of Grey Goose and Hennessy (a Laotian favorite) for ice-breaking goodness. Clutch.

Aside from the very ethnic food and 100% Laotian band, I would venture to say every culture parties pretty much the same way: drink, dance, yak in the ladies room and drive home. Cheers Tony and Leng Smith.

I’ll leave you with this.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS5N0B5nzmM&feature=related]