When this bride and groom decided to have their wedding in Cambodia, they knew they wanted to make it extra special. After spending two weeks traveling, the wedding party ended their trip with a traditional, awe-inspiring wedding. Captured by Brighter Lights Media, this video not only highlights the true beauty of Cambodia, but the unique cultural traditions that make this video so special.
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From the Bride and Groom… This event was about much more than just our wedding – it was about bringing together family, friends and loved ones to experience a new place, culture and set of traditions together. We currently live in New York City (and Matt is originally from Boston), so while Ratavy’s family is Cambodian, many of the people who traveled with us on this trip were from the US. And for many of them, this was their first trip to Asia. We knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for many of the people coming, so we wanted to organize a trip around Southeast Asia, and ensure that it would be a memorable journey from start to finish.
The two weeks before the wedding ceremonies, me, Ratavy, & our closest friends and family traveled to Bangkok, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, exploring all of the unique things those places had to offer. From navigating Bangkok’s incredible rooftop bar scene, to taking in the beauty of a sunrise over Angkor Wat, to charting a boat down a Cambodian river and riding elephants to the top of a mountain for a breathtaking sunset, everyone on the trip got to experience something totally new, and they did so together. It is impossible to capture everything that happened over those two weeks in a short video clip, but this teaser beautifully captures the essence of the journey, the sentiment of the group, and the epic proportion of the events that transgressed.
The actual wedding festivities took place over a day and a half period, which was reduced from the typical three-day traditional Cambodian ceremony. This was the first exposure to a traditional Cambodian wedding for both Ratavy and I, so we were learning on the fly, showing gratitude and respect at each step along the way, and focused on ensuring that we didn’t make a total fool of ourselves. The ceremonies ranged from the Melymuka family presenting a plethora of fruit as a gift to Ratavy’s family, to a “hair cutting” event where friends and family symbolically snipped away the past to prepare us for our future together, to a ritual with a line of nine monks positioned directly in front of us, chanting in unison. The ceremonies were a huge success, involved plenty of bowing, and provided great exposure to a new and different set of cultural traditions for everyone.
Cinematography: Brighter Lights Media | Floral Design: Sofitel Hotel | Catering: Sofitel Hotel | Hotel: Sofitel Hotel