Weddings in Sri Lanka, take place mainly during the month of May and are huge lavish affairs with everyone dressing to the nines!
From early Thursday morning, really early, as in six thirty in the morning, bridal parties arrive for photo sessions.
While we were staying in Galle, we saw many bridal parties having their photos taken using the walls of the fort as the back drop. Evidently, men have the choice of wearing the traditional outfit, which is the same as the Kings of Sri Lanka wear or a formal dark suit.
The tradition for the brides is to wear a beautiful golden cream dress.
The attendants are also dressed beautifully in brightly coloured, stunning outfits. The Mothers and Aunties too wear amazingly lovely sarees.
It was explained to me that the first part of the celebrations is hosted by the Brides parents then the couple go away for two nights on their honeymoon and then the Groom's parents host a welcoming party. For this part of the ceremony the bride wears crimson red and the groom wears long traditional clothes.
It is very important in some families to show how generously they are sending their daughter off and sometimes a truck will arrive filled with furniture, household goods, cleaning equipment and even a SEWING machine!! (that should be top of the list.)
In Kandy, our hotel was right next to a hotel that had a Banquet hall catering for weddings and from Thursday morning until Sunday, when we were leaving, it was a non stop stream of wedding parties arriving and leaving. Often the groom would arrive in a very smart sedan while the bride and her party were all stuffed into a tuk tuk!
Our hotel was the "honeymoon" venue and we interacted with this lovely young couple.
Evidently foreigners also like to go to Sri Lanka to get married. They have to reside in the country for five days and the English system is used to legalize these affairs.
It is just a pity we did not crack an invite to one of the weddings!! What a privilege that would have been.
From early Thursday morning, really early, as in six thirty in the morning, bridal parties arrive for photo sessions.
While we were staying in Galle, we saw many bridal parties having their photos taken using the walls of the fort as the back drop. Evidently, men have the choice of wearing the traditional outfit, which is the same as the Kings of Sri Lanka wear or a formal dark suit.
The tradition for the brides is to wear a beautiful golden cream dress.
The attendants are also dressed beautifully in brightly coloured, stunning outfits. The Mothers and Aunties too wear amazingly lovely sarees. 
It was explained to me that the first part of the celebrations is hosted by the Brides parents then the couple go away for two nights on their honeymoon and then the Groom's parents host a welcoming party. For this part of the ceremony the bride wears crimson red and the groom wears long traditional clothes.
It is very important in some families to show how generously they are sending their daughter off and sometimes a truck will arrive filled with furniture, household goods, cleaning equipment and even a SEWING machine!! (that should be top of the list.)
In Kandy, our hotel was right next to a hotel that had a Banquet hall catering for weddings and from Thursday morning until Sunday, when we were leaving, it was a non stop stream of wedding parties arriving and leaving. Often the groom would arrive in a very smart sedan while the bride and her party were all stuffed into a tuk tuk!
 |
| The "Before" picture. |
Our hotel was the "honeymoon" venue and we interacted with this lovely young couple.
 |
| The "After' shot. |
Evidently foreigners also like to go to Sri Lanka to get married. They have to reside in the country for five days and the English system is used to legalize these affairs.
It is just a pity we did not crack an invite to one of the weddings!! What a privilege that would have been.
No comments:
Post a Comment