| Dos & Don't Category Listing |
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| At a Wedding
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There are two phases to a
wedding - the nuptial and the reception.
The nuptial usually takes place in the home, the
reception at home or in a hotel.
The nuptial ceremony and reception are
sometimes combined in a hotel.
The reception sometimes takes the form of an
adjunct to the offering of merit meal
to monks in a monastery.
HOTELWEDDING-
DRESS IN BUSINESS SUIT-
You will find that a hotel wedding is all glitter and glitz. Wedding guests
come in all their finery. This means in their "wedding best" clothes
and jewellery of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, assorted Mogok precious stones,
their own or borrowed. The bride is dressed in the costume of a court
maiden-in-waiting and the bridegroom puts a gaung-baung on his head. This is the
one occasion when people "show off".
It is wise for you to attend in a business suit.
BE PREPARED TO SPEND AN HOUR-
Guests arrive a quarter hour before the invited time. If they arrive
punctually they may get the seats which provide a poor view of the wedding
couple or be ushered into a side room. The bride and groom enter about an half
hour or forty minutes later. the reception addresses take a quarter hour after
which you are served tea. The chief guests who have garlanded the bride and
groom depart about twenty minutes later when all guests get up to leave. All
this has taken an hour or more. Likely more. By which time you are absolutely
bored, conversation being impossible with others at table because of the
ear-splitting music provided by a live band.
SEND A GIFT-
It would be a nice gesture to send a small gift to the home or to take it
along with you to the wedding hotel where you will be received by the parents.
HOME WEDDING-
DRESS WELL-
Because it is a wedding which is not in a hotel but at home doesn't mean the
guests don't dress as well as to the hotel. The difference is that your
invitation would be to the reception rather than to the nuptial ceremony. So,
the bride would be in modern dress, not court costume, and the groom would not
wear the gaung-baung. But you still need to wear that business suit.
LESS FORMAL-
A home wedding reception is a grade less formal than a hotel wedding. It is
more relaxed. The music is less ear-splitting. You don't need to arrive a
quarter hour early. It is more possible to greet other guests. You can leave
earlier than at a hotel wedding.
MONASTERY RECEPTION-
TWO MORE FUNCTIONS-
There are two functions which follow the nuptial ceremony
and the wedding reception. One is the wedding dinner which follows the
reception. This dinner is only for close relatives and friends of the family who
are invited specifically. It is usually a "wet party" with drinks
flowing freely.
The other function takes place the next morning either at home or in a
monastery. This is the offering of merit meal to monks, performed to gain merit
for the couple at the beginning of their married life.
GREET, EAT, CHAT AND LEAVE-
What you do at a monastery reception is simple. You come into the monastery.
You will usually not need to take off your shoes because the presiding monk
would have permitted the wearing of shoes. You greet the new couple and their
parents. You sit at a table of your choice or one that is indicated. You will be
served a full meal. You eat. You chat with other guests at your table or you get
up to greet and converse with other guests you may be acquainted with. You then
say good-bye to the newly-weds and you leave.
People don't dress so richly for a monastery reception. If the weather is warm
for a suit, it will be all right to go in long sleeves and a necktie.
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