A Karen Wedding

The MC - He had A LOT to say! Though, I had no idea what he was saying... 

It was a double wedding.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Karen double-wedding.  The Karen are a Burmese minority and this particular family was granted asylum a couple years ago and relocated from their refugee camp to San Diego. They've done an amazing job making a home for themselves in a largely strange and unfamiliar place.

The wedding was an interesting experience and I tried to take in as much as I could given this was a rare glimpse into a very small and discreet culture. I was attending on behalf of the bride, Tadah, whose donned in the traditional white dress. Mostly everyone was under 5 feet tall, so my date and I felt like giants! The other bride and groom chose to wear traditional Karen garments woven from thick cotton yarns of brights colors. The ceremony seemed to drone on and on but we were happy to be there for the bride and her family. As soon as the processions were over, the hall seemed to almost immediately convert to a dining hall with everyone pitching in to set-up, serve, and clean up. They're a tight knit community and it was an honor to be included in their celebration.