Our first Khmer wedding!

We were thrilled to receive an invitation to a wedding! Saveoun is a student at PPBS and this is the second year I've had him in my class. He would seriously bounce into class and tell me how many days left until his wedding. He's been teased by other classmates, but this guy is SO excited to finally marry his best friend. It was so special to be a small part of their anticipated day!

Although there were ceremonies and feasts throughout the day (starting at 7 AM when we were invited to join the couple and their friends and family to hold fruit as a part of a ceremony!) we opted to just join the reception part of their day. Although the invitation stated that it started at 4 PM, we were told not to arrive at that time, since nobody would be there yet. We arrived at 5:45 and we were definitely on the early side!

In true Khmer fashion, I went to a salon to have my hair and make-up done. I also borrowed a traditional Khmer dress from a friend! (I found out that gray is actually a color worn by older women, and when I got there, I realized that my skirt was almost identical to the Mother of the Bride's skirt!)

We took a few photos of us all dressed and ready to go to the wedding!

Wesley looked at me and said, "Mommy, are you a queen?" hehe

I have never had eyebrows this big before!!

the Handsome Daddy with his little princess, all dressed for the ball!

Bria was loving the camera!

Wes did everything he could to avoid it. haha

They almost gave me an up-do, complete with gems to form a tiara. 

Yes, the women really go all out for these events! 

I explained, though, that I really preferred something more simple. I was happy with the results, and pleased that I still managed to escape without the tiara and additional jewels they wanted to scatter throughout their hair creation. :)

The prince and princess in their chariot!

I love our growing family!

Some other teachers from PPBS also shared a tuk tuk with us

The groom, Savoun, was so thrilled to have the children join in on the party!

Bria with the bride and groom

The bridesmaids & groomsmen greeting us on the way in! 

(oops, I didn't get a picture of the guys. sorry, guys! The women stole the show!)

The gift table

(envelopes are provided with the invitation, and you just slip your gift into the pretty heart-shaped box)

A glimpse of the decor inside the tent!

Even though the invitation said that it started at 4 PM, we were told not to arrive until later. By the time we arrived, at 5:45 PM, you can tell that we were still among the first to arrive!

 

Some of our PPBS students.  

One of my students, Sina

Wesley was so excited about going to the party!

However, he fell asleep in the tuk tuk on the way and didn't wake up till we were almost finished eating dinner!! haha, to understand just how amazing this is, you have to understand the decibel level of the music. It is SO LOUD that you literally yell in the person's ear as LOUD as you can and they still canNOT hear you. The music gets louder and louder as the night progresses. Yes, it is amazing that Wesley slept as long as he did!!

We enjoyed eating with several of the other PPBS teachers

 

Her headband didn't last the evening, but she was definitely the Belle of the Ball.

 She loved walking around to random tables, dancing and clapping to the music, and just being cute with the guests. 

She even managed to make herself a little friend!

Her Daddy's going to have to keep an eye on this girl!!

However, she wasn't always happy...even though she let the groom hold her before, she apparently changed her mind about him, no matter how many times he tried!!

Several other PPBS students, dressed in their finest.

We hardly recognized them!!! With their hair, make-up, and gorgeous dresses, it was quite the contrast from their regular school uniforms! :)

 

He's awake!

As soon as he woke up he said, "I want spaghetti!" Whaaat?

Wedding photos of the bride & groom outside of the tent 

Wes & Bria were so fascinated by this one!

It was so cute to see them looking in wonder at the beautiful couple.

Our ears were ringing. Our hearts were pounding. We were starting to go a little crazy with the increasing energy of the synthesized music. We blamed our early departure on the children. Actually, we were just feeling really old. We definitely don't handle the LOUD music as well as other people here! 

However, before we left, we managed to get a quick photo of just the two of us! 

A rare occasion that is! 

And then, wonder of wonders, the newly changed bride & groom were right there to join us for a family photo!!! We were so happy to get them together to give us this special keepsake of their wedding! 

We don't know the bride very well, but from what we hear, she is a dynamic Christian girl...and we know that the groom is on FIRE for Christ and the vision that God has given him. We know that this couple is going to be used in MIGHTY ways to bring Jesus into this country. We are so happy to share in this special day and walk with them into this exciting new adventure of marriage! We look forward to spending time together with them as Mr. & Mrs.! 

Hope you enjoyed this peek into their wedding day!

Joe, Nica, Wes, & Bria