More and more couples in Thailand are opting to have their engagement and wedding ceremony held in the same day. The engagement is held in the morning, followed by the wedding ceremony in the afternoon and wedding reception in the evening.
The wedding date itself is chosen by a monk who calculates it based on the birthday and time of birth of the couple to find an auspicious day.
Before the engagement ceremony can take place though, the man’s parents must seek the permission of the woman’s parents and ask for the price of the dowry. The dowry is called “thong mun” (“thong” is gold, “mun” is engagement) and the value is somewhat determined by the social class of the woman. Gold jewelry and cash is customarily given for the dowry, and sometimes property.
Thai wedding ceremonies have their roots in Buddhism and is called “rod nam sang” (“rod” means pour, “nam” water, “sang” conch shell). During the ceremony, the bride and groom each wear a flower wreath on their heads that are connected together.
Parents and elders of the bride and groom then give blessings to the couple, who are knelt down, by pouring water in between hands pressed together. A special type of conch shell is used to pour the water. Sometimes monks are invited to chant Buddhist scriptures at the ceremony.
After the wedding ceremony it is common for couples not to register the marriage. The Buddhist ceremony is often considered more important than the legality of it.
