And then I was invited to a Burmese wedding…

We were staying at Lily’s Guesthouse when we heard the rumour (from the Gold Smith in town who changed our money) that Lily’s daughter was getting married in a couple of days. We set ourselves a mission – secure an invitation.

Lily (the MOB – mother of the bride – and owner of the guesthouse) was lovely, and would have invited us anyway even without us fishing around. We frantically googled ‘Burnese weddings’ to read up, but the internet failed us and we headed in blindly.

(Ready to go!)

It was definitely more Chinese than what we had expected. We were bundled into aircon’ed 4WD’s and incorporated into the family procession of cars being driven around town. Maybe 6 cars circled the 4 blocks of town for 10 mins showing off the happy couple before stopping at ‘The Golden Palace’, literally around the corner. 

(Photos at home)

The banquet hall had been decorated for the occasion, with a giant framed photo of the couple at the entrance and flowers lining the walkway. Up on stage were comfy armchairs (similar to the cinema) where the happy couple sat. There were 30 tables with stools set for guests, who came in, ate then left and the process repeated itself. 

Food was banquet style at your table, however there was a catch. No food would be brought to your table until the entire table was full. One spare seat = no food for you. Of course we stood out and most people were too shy to sit with us. We eventually managed to fill our table and then feasted on traditional Chinese dishes. 

The bride managed 3 dress changes in the time we were there, and still had another 2 to go by the time we left. The groom looked like he was doing his duty in his white suit – clearly waiting for the party his family were going to throw for him in Mandalay next week. This party was reserved strictly for the bride’s family and friends. All 500-1000 that had been invited.

(Dress #2)

(Dress #3)