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Another early start for the Pattaya Otter.
This time to drive to the nearby town of Si Racha for the wedding there of his friend Peter and his lovely Thai Bride Yupin.
Making the journey without too much difficulty we arrived at the bride’s family home at the far end of a village just outside Si Racha just after 8 o’clock in the morning.
By the time of our arrival the monks had already come and gone and given their blessings to the event, and we fo und that contrary to what we believed to be custom the bride and groom were both present there.
However shortly afterwards the groom and his party departed to walk down to the opposite end of the village.
The purpose of this was so that they could line up in processi on complete with band and dancers and then walk all the way back again.
This return journey seemed to have the attention of the entire village, and appeared to include most of its inhabitants as well. In addition to the young dancers and musicians we also had two men carrying what looked like huge plants on poles and a procession of the ladies of the town each bearing a plate containing some food.
On returning, the groom found his way barred by a series of hand held chains which with the offer of small gifts were then lowered to permit him to pass.
After having hi s feet ceremoniously washed he and his bride then entered the main room of the house and sat at a table in front of which were laid plates of the offerings that had been carried as part of the march back.
A silver plate was then spread with money and flower petals and  in the middle of this was placed a box containing the ring.
This was then given to the groom who opened it and placed the ring on the bride’s finger.
This apparently completed the formal wedding ceremony.
The guests including ourselves then lined up to present ourselves to the happy couple and to tie knots of string round their wrists – a Thai custom for good luck.
In turn members of the family then tied string round our wrists for the same purpose.
The children who had provided the marching band and dancer s then performed once again for us in front of the house, after which they were each given a small present.
The bride, groom and her family then went out into their garden at the back for formal photos to be taken.
After which we adjourned to the hotel in the centre of Si Racha where we had arranged to stay the night.
This gave us the chance to rest and do some local shopping before returning back to the family house in the early evening for the wedding night party.
On return we found that a karaoke system had been set up on a stage in front of the house and a large number of tables had been laid out in the front garden. These were being staffed by a catering company from a nearby restaurant who provided an impeccable service throughout the  whole evening.
Whilst enjoying the proceedings we were well supplied with many dishes of a variety of Thai foods and plenty of liquid refreshment to wash them down with.
After a number of welcoming speeches, a mixture of singers including the bride and groom then entertained the substantial audience for the entire evening.
Not to be outdone some of the ‘falang’ guests tried their hand at performing on the stage and all very enthusiastically applauded.
But the highlight act of the evening had to be the three lovely Thai ladies who took it in turns to si ng either solo or in concert and also managed some nimble dance steps in spite of the most enormous platform soles ever seen.
A great ending to a wonderful day and a chance to see at first hand a different side of Thai culture.
Our heartfelt thanks to Peter and Yupin for inviting us and we wish them all happiness in their future life together.
To view any of the above photos in full size, just click on it.
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