I had been told I would likely be invited to a Khmer wedding before I left Cambodia which turns out to be true. The other day Suzanne, the other American in Kratie who owns a kayaking business, invited me to go with her and some of her employees. Khmer weddings are only held during the dry season and although Kratie is a town of about 13,000 people I think I've seen a wedding literally every single day. The weddings are all the same and are typically held in the street. A large pink tent-like awning is assembled and multiple round tables all with the same pink silk chairs sit underneath. For the larger weddings there is a stage and bands are heard playing music for most of the day -- and night. Traditionally, the weddings used to last three days and involved a number of intricate ceremonies. I have heard they are often now reduced to a one-day affair, but don't quote me on that. Traditionally the wedding would begin with the groom traveling to the bride's home and presenting gifts to the bride's family as a dowry. There is also a ceremony in which the bride and groom's hair is cut to symbolize the beginning of a new life together. These are the only two ceremonies I had been told about, but am aware there are many more to make the wedding ceremony complete.

While it may have not been a big deal that Suzanne invited me to the wedding I felt special she had thought to include me. Her employees seem more like her family and it was wonderful to see them all dressed up. Makara, pictured above in white, is stunningly beautiful and her son Simon was adorable dressed in his suit (although looks rather unhappy in the photo). Kerb is standing to the left of Suzanne and since this wedding he has invited me to several more. It was probably my amazing dance moves, but more on that later.

Entering the pink tent (this is what I'm calling it now) the bride and groom and what seemed to be a bridal party (but probably is the wrong term) were all lined up greeting guests. They were dressed to the nines with beautifully decorated dresses and elaborate hair and makeup. This can be said the same for all the Khmer women in attendance. I was blown away by the color, beads, jewels, makeup etc. these beautiful women were wearing. By contrast I was in flip flops and a cotton sundress, albeit a very colorful one at that.

We were escorted to a round table and served dish after dish of food including a platter of various seafood (which I was told is quite expensive), roasted chicken, and fried rice. The seafood dish also had broccoli which I was also told is expensive. I know I've been a bit starved for the "healthy" foods I eat in the U.S., but was startled at just how excited I was to eat the broccoli. Throughout the dinner there were multiple "cheers" with different types of beer. I realized usually when someone takes a sip of beer this is cause for a cheers, which is pronounced "Chul moi" in Khmer. While back at home we typically "cheers" at the beginning of a meal I'm quite fond of these multiple "cheers" events as it tends to remind me we're out doing something to be enjoyed.

Clearly not enough food or drinks for everyone!

After we finished dinner Suzanne got up to dance and motioned for me to join. Not wanting to be lame I did. Everyone was dancing in a circle so I lined up next to Kerb and did my best not to look totally out of place (which was ridiculous at this point because I was one of the only non-Khmer people there). I've included a video I found on YouTube just to give you an idea of what the dancing looks like. Basically you move forward and back on your feet and move your hands in this certain manner. I just waggled my hands around trying to find a beat. I couldn't help laughing at how far from my comfort zone I felt. That being said, I think moments like this are exactly why I came to Cambodia in the first place - to experience something 100% different.

Cambodia Chronicles