The Traditions

On the morning of the wedding, the couple gathered at the home of Theera's parents' for a traditional Thai Buddhist blessing. At 6:15 a.m., four monks arrived at the house to perform the ceremony that included the lighting of candles, recitation of ancient Buddhist chants, and the sprinkling of sacred water over the couple's heads. Later everyone gathered at The Rittenhouse hotel for a Thai water ceremony, which took place in the Grand Ballroom. The lustral water ceremony offered our family and guests the opportunity to bestow their blessings upon us, says Theera. One by one, each guests poured a conch shell of sacred water over our hands while saying a blessing for good luck.