Traditional Khmer Wedding Ceremony

Traditional Cambodian attitudes to marriage are changing, as most people get married nowadays at a much later age than their parents and grandparents, except in the more remote rural areas. Many young women are postponing marriage in favor of a career. It is no longer unusual to meet bright and beautiful women who are over 30 years old and unmarried.

Marriages are very important social occasions and Cambodians will often invite foreigners to join in the celebratory meal and sometimes to the ceremony itself. The appropriate gift to give is more, which helps pay for the wedding. This is placed in an envelope with your name on the envelope and handed to the keeper of the register. A register of invitees is usually kept at all weddings.

Guests should wear colorful dress and avoid white and black. Traditionally, men should wear light colored shirts and colored trousers, and women should wear a silk sampot (Khmer clothes) following the colors of the seven days of the week. The bride will wear a number of beautiful and colorful dresses during the day of the wedding.

Traditional Cambodian marriage is usually performed by as many as nine Buddhist monks. The traditional ceremony begins in the morning with the happy couple wearing head-dresses joined by a white thread. Monks place a white cord around the area that the couple is standing on, marking if off as a sacred zone. Hours of chanting and blessing follow, and the senior monk springs holy water over the couple, using leaf of banana. Then, group of musicians sing traditional song, symbolic rituals take place, such as cutting off a lock of hair from bother the bride and the groom, the elders in the community and family will give the couple advice on how they should behave, and once again presents are exchanged.

The most popular days for weddings are Saturday and Sunday. Although, wealthier families now hold wedding receptions at restaurants and hotels, the most common place for a wedding is on the sidewalk or street outside the bride’s parents’ house. Awnings are put up, extremely loud music is played, and dozens of tables and chair are hired for the banquet. The caterer will set up nearby.