Becoming a Vietnamese Bridesmaid
on Sarah Easter (Vietnam), 28/Feb/2010 15:35, 34 days ago
Recently, I had the opportunity to truly experience the Vietnamese culture as it relates to weddings. One of my new friends here invited me to take part in her wedding as a bridesmaid! When she asked me, I was thrilled and honored that she wanted to include me in her wedding party.Vietnamese weddings usually consist of a bride's party at a restaurant or hotel, complete with entertainment, singing and lots of food. The following weekend, there is a ceremony that takes place, first at the bride's home and then at the groom's home, with the family members. After the ceremonies conclude, the groom's party takes place at another restaurant or hotel, complete with entertainment, singing and lots more food. There were about 350 people at the bride's party and nearly 600 people at the groom's party.As a bridesmaid, I wore the traditional Vietnamese dress called an ao dai (see pictures below) and followed the bride around all day in order to take care of anything she needed. It was a bit challenging at times as all of instructions during the ceremonies were given in Vietnamese and unfortunately my understanding of the language is still very limited. Fortunately, I was able to rely heavily on the other bridesmaid, who speaks English very well, to ensure that I was following orders correctly.It was so nice to be able to take part in a Vietnamese wedding. The bride and groom's families were both so welcoming of me and made me feel as though I was a member of the family. I truly enjoyed my time as bridesmaid here and feel honored that I had the opportunity to take part in this sacred tradition.At the bride's partyThe bride and I right before the ceremonies beganMy escort and IThe other bridesmaid and I along with her cousin and sisterAt the groom's party