I was supposed to be following both Sothy and Ratthana as they went to the lake gardens to take pictures. Sothy sensing my tiredness asked me to go get some rest first before the evening dinner. So I did return to the church only for a blackout to happen 5 minutes after I arrived. It was too hot to sleep but I tried. But before I could even fall asleep it was time to go and prepare for the dinner ceremony. I had to be there at four so I was busily preparing myself at 3 and off I went as one of the other best man fetched me.

Reaching there I thought if I was dressed in something rather formal it would have been fine but to their dismay I was supposed to wear what I had been wearing the whole day that was full with sweat! On the journey back to church, we also went into some mud so my pants were stained. So here I was dressed in a blue chequered shirt and brown pants when they wanted me to be in a suit again! Oh my. So one of the ladies quickly used her sewing skills and made the pants bigger and longer as I was fat and tall by Cambodian standards. Soon I was dressed up to look like this in the picture below. The bridesmaids looked gorgeous too.

SOOOO CUTE!!! Sothy’s Nephew

Not knowing what to expect again I was told we were to stay at the entrance two floors down in the open hot weather welcoming guests. The guests were given a door gift as they arrived. Each time someone arrives, we had to get up, greet them, give them the gifts as they passed us by for their hearty meal upstairs. So eight of us were like standing up and sitting and greeting and sweating and smiling until I was getting rather impatient. According to Sothy, as long as a table is filled up upstairs, they will already start eating. So while they were buffeting upstairs I was suffering here. I could see the agony on the bridesmaid’s faces and even the couple as she changed five dresses while all these things were happening. We had to be there greeting for 3 and a half hours. From a smile on my face, it started to look gloomy as there was pain in my legs and lack of understanding of everything. I was sitting there as they all talked to each other in Khmer and I was a blur case. It was torture. The smoke of incense from another wedding was making me choke and have a bad sore throat.

Finally it was time to go up. Aching all over I was hesitant to be singing the song I wrote later as my throat was tremendously painful. We went up and the couple went around table to table greeting people then it was time to walk down the aisle. So children with helium balloons were in front, the couple next and the best men and bridesmaids walked down the aisle that was lit up with fire crackers and confetti being thrown. Funny thing was that the firecrackers triggered explosions in the balloons that cause a pastor’s eyebrow to burn and some other ladies to have burns too (I found this out later). Maybe its not so funny if you are the victim…sorry. Still we walked on until we were overwhelmed with confetti, snow spray, and all kinds of sprays. We walked a few rounds letting them torture us and be happy. So funny.

Preparing to walk down the aisle

It snows in Cambodia!

Dancing…so romantic

Presenting to you the lovely couple!

The couple then started dancing as the rest of us went down and got ourselves cleaned up. When I got up, people were dancing together in the front. I was asked to join but lest they all wanted to die of laughter, I politely declined. So people were feasting, dancing and all…I was just catching my breath. SO exhausted I managed to eat something….my first meal of the day. But I was feeling so weary and sick in my throat.

Pastor Chan Roth and a cute gal who came all the way from the US for the wedding

Thank God people forgot about me singing. So I told Sothy I’d rather not sing. One by one guests left but many remained just dancing their hearts out. I made my move to the nearest pharmacy to get medicine so that I would not lose my voice as I had to preach tomorrow. Upon arriving back. I collapse in my bed. What a day! This has been the most physically tired I have been in a long time. I was happy though, happier that I’ve been in sometime. Sothy and Ratthana, Congratulations!

Tags: cambodia, travel, wedding