Wedding

Suddenly, lens flare!

 

Not mine.  My cousin's wedding.  One of the reason for my returning home was to attend.  I had never attended an Indonesian wedding before so why not give it a try now.  There were many local customs that I did not know but one thing that is common around the world is the feast afterwards.  The wedding ceremony itself was a mixture of traditional Chinese and local custom.  My cousin is Buddhist while his bride is Christian.  It was an interesting observation.
 

Bride and groom with parents.

 

The day of the wedding, I was to accompany my cousin with three others as he prepared to receive his bride.  We started from his home toward the hotel where the bride is being prepared for the ceremony.  Escorted by a police cruiser, we headed out to the hotel.  Along the way, photographers and videographers continued with their assignment.

At the hotel, the groom had to knock on the door thrice and he was received by the bride's parents.  His escort lined up behind him while his representative announced his intention to marry the lady in the room.  After a short exchange, we were on our way back to the home.  On the way back, another cousins and I took a ride in the police cruiser.  Despite by image of a criminal, I had never been in the back of a cruiser. ;)

At home, it was the bride's turn to be received by the groom's parents.  At this point, the Chinese traditional tea ceremony took place.  The elder relatives presented the couple with gifts while they in turn were served tea by the couple.  Younger relatives were given red pockets but I missed my turn as at that time, I was trying to dry myself somewhere.  The oppressing heat and a 95% humidity was not something that I was used to.  I was being slowly cooked underneath my suit.

Interior of the temple.

 

After a short rest period and a cold shower, we headed to the temple where the proper wedding ceremony took place.  A wedding ceremony at a Buddhist temple was new to me so it was quite interesting.  Again, despite being close to sun down, it was still quite hot so I had to escape for fresh air and a breeze.

You may kiss the bride.  But no French!

After the ceremony at the temple, we headed to the banquet hall.  One thousand guests were expected to show.  The exact numbers I was not told but the food was plenty.  Guests were able to take some home as well.  At the end of the day, I was quite exhausted despite being only a guest.

Temple Guards and/or Assassins.

 

99 red and other balloons.

  

Banquet hall before the guests arrived.