Having just returned from another fact finding mission to Thailand, I can officially declare that Thailand is back on track to be the number one, insurmountable , unsurpassable, Destination Wedding Capital of the world.
Things have really stepped up a notch or two since my last visit to Thailand and the level of professionalism I encountered from the sidelines of some very cool weddings, was refreshing or to be more accurate, utterly staggering.
While all of the weddings were pretty swish, one particular wedding really caught my eye and has very much adjusted my perspective of what a Destination Wedding should be.
The other thing that this wedding also did, was open my eyes to what I now believe to be the strongest asset an Overseas Wedding has to offer.
The particular Wedding I am talking about was in fact an Indian Sikh or Punjabi Wedding.
But wait for it!
While the wedding was based on tradition, these guys totally made it their own and took what I feared was going to be a painfully long and drawn out event, into three days of absolute fun and madness.
And that made me think.
This is exactly what a Destination Wedding should be.
Tradition or Religion aside, under what other set of circumstances could would two people ever successfully gather their closest friends and loved ones and have them all to yourself, without distraction, for several days?
A Destination Wedding!
Family and friends, some of whom may never have met are suddenly thrust together to celebrate your marriage. But unlike a wedding at home, they are not just briefly introduced during the ceremony and reception, they have a number of days to really get to know one and other.
What I witnessed at the Punjabi Wedding, was how they took advantage of this time, to develop strong family bonds from both the Bride and Grooms family and friends.
Over the course of three days the couple hosted lots of smaller events that led up to the big day. There was dancing, drinking (lots of drinking), challenges, competitions, there were games, including the most ridiculous game of hide and seek I have ever seen.
But it was great fun!
With very little effort, these gatherings enabled the guests to closely interact and build some wonderful relationships that simply would not have happened at a brief wedding ceremony at the local church.
So when you are planning your big day, be it in Thailand or where-ever, don't waste such a wonderful opportunity to strengthen family bonds. You don't need to be a Sikh or follow any particular faith to appreciate the value of a strong family and you will be amazed how much fun it is!
For more information on getting married in Thailand, check out The Official Thailand Tourism Website below.
Tourism Thailand
