Wedding days are generally full of ceremony, tradition , love and chaos. But the Laos wedding of Mone and Dave in Savannakhet really did take the cake.
The Bride Mone is from Savannakhet. Savannakhet is the second largest city in Laos after Vientiane, set on the banks of the Mekong River with Thailand on the opposite side. Hopping off the rickety little plane, greeted by more cows than people, Savannakhet is still very much like a big old village, mixed in with a splash of modern commerce and progress and hints of 20th century architecture and development.
On the flip side is Driller Dave. I grew up with the three Walsh boys, Matt, Simon and Dave. I used to love having sleep overs at their house on Albert Road for two reasons – firstly because sleepovers at mates places are always an adventure, but also, selfishly, because they had the BEST selection of breakfast cereal I’d ever seen. No Weet-Bix in their pantry, oh no. Fruit Loops, Nutri-Grain, you name it, I stuffed my face with it at 29 Albert Road…
What made this wedding extra special for me, aside from the 40 degree heat, 95% humidity and it all being in a foreign language, was the Walsh family and the chaos. I love a bit of organised chaos and having known these guys for decades, it just made complete sense to be there with them amongst it all.
So here’s the story.
It’s a little long, but stay with me. It went over 2 days, one short ceremony on the Friday night that Dave and I didn’t even realise was going to happen. I just happened to come along for the ride to see where everything was going to take place the next day really. Lucky I took a camera with me.
The Wedding Day..It was massive, chaotic and so much fun. Tuk Tuk rides from place to place, sweaty ceremonies in little living rooms, cold chicken and boiled egg luck ceremonies that involved friends and family from all over the world. East and West colliding in one big, hot, sweaty roller coaster ride.
