My little sister, Ariya, married Joshua Lapan in July of 2005. She had two weddings, a traditional Thai ceremony in New Jersey and Jewish ceremony in Iowa.

The traditional Thai ceremony in New Jersey was held on a Saturday, beginning early in the morning with a Merit Making ceremony in which the Thai Bhuddist monks visited our parents' home and gave the young couple the opportunity to give offerings together for the first time as a couple. This Merit Making Ceremony was directly followed by the traditional Rod Nam Sang ceremony in which the bride and groom are seated at a ceremonial table and linked together by a blessed mongkol to symbolize their union. Guests are then invited to bless the couple by trickling water from a conch shell over their fingertips while giving good wishes for their future.

The bride's gown was made of cream Thai silk and sewn by Kun Ampai. The golden bead embroidery was hand sewn by the bride's mother and Kun Ampai. The flowers were Verdana and Leonidas roses, cream spray roses and white snap dragons arranged by myself.

In honor of the occassion, each of the bridesmaids wore traditional Thai dresses.

For the Iowa ceremony, a floor length veil was added to the bride's gown.

The bride and grrom were each escorted down the aisle by their parents.

The ceremony was held under a huppa. The ceiling of the huppa is a panel of Thai silk with a woven pattern brought from Thailand for the occassion. After a beautiful ceremony, including the traditional breaking of the glass, another Rod Nam Sang ceremony was held to give the guests in Iowa the chance to bless the couple.