Cuong & Hanh's Wedding Extravaganza

This weekend we attended our first Vietnamese wedding and it was truly a cultural experience. The wedding was held at the historic Continental Hotel in Saigon. We arrived at the hotel entrance and on each side of the stairs were the names of two different couples - lucky one of them was the wedding we were attending (we were told that the first thing about Vietnamese weddings is to make sure you turn up at the correct one). We were welcomed by bridesmaids (?) and groomsmen (?) dressed in white. After walking through the lobby, we entered the venue, the covered outdoor courtyard. The bride and groom, Hanh and Cuong, welcomed us. Hanh is the receptionist at the Talisman Vietnam office and Caleb's number one fan (I trust she will be having her own baby within the year). Hanh looked stunning. We were seated at our table of 10 (rather tight considering 8 of 10 were Western-sized). After we were offered a drink (water, beer or coke), the MC (?) got up and said some words which were followed by dancers on the stage (who may have been the previously described men and women dressed in white?). Then the music changed and the bride and groom entering the room. When they got to the stage, balloons were popped and fireworks went off and confetti fell... a serious show. After some toasts, we were served our first of about eight courses. The food was really good and the glasses were magically always full of beer and ice. There had to be servers just committed to dropping ice in glasses to keep up with such a task. By about the second course, different singers had taken to the stage and soon enough we discovered it was wedding karaoke (after the bride's brother invited us to sing a song... um, no thanks - karaoke in front of my family is bad enough never mind 600 people). The karaoke continued until the final course, dessert, when people quickly started vacating the venue. We thought it must just be time for a bathroom break but in fact, that was it! No dance, no drinking into the wee hours of the morning - just eat and run! We must have been one of the last tables to leave and not because we were lingering but instead, we were just finishing the last of our food. So, for the first time ever, I was home from a wedding before 10 pm. Caleb was fast asleep (even with the Vietnamese karaoke) so we called it a night!

Dad and Caleb looking very smart at the Continental Hotel.

Caleb looking very handsome for the occasion.

A shot of our table through the refreshing mist.

My $5 hairdo complete with 'diamonds' and it only took the guy about 15 minutes to finish.

Hanh and Cuong, along with their parents, came around to each table to do a toast. What a beautiful bride!