Four Kāpiti couples have tied the knot at a traditional Thai Cultural Wedding ceremony held at Te Papa.
In all, nine couples took part in the celebrations organised by the Thai community of Wellington. The occasion also celebrated the Queen of Thailand’s 80th birthday as well as Thai Mother’s Day.
Among the couples were Dale Evans and Jan Homkajon of Paraparaumu Beach.
Mr Evans said the event was a wonderful cultural celebration and he and his partner Jan were delighted to share their big day with so many family and friends.
Te Papa was a feast of colour as wedding guests were joined by members of the public who gathered for the event.
Hundreds of visitors had the opportunity to experience different parts of the wedding as a parade including the grooms made its way around the outskirts of the museum about 11.30am.
Entering the building, the grooms then had to make their way up a set of stairs and pass through three chains before they could join their brides.
At each chain the grooms needed to barter their way past, leading to banter and laughter as the group passed through the bronze, silver and gold chains.
Lamai Chanhoom, from Paraparaumu who was marrying Anun Ponhong, said she was thrilled to be getting married at Te Papa and to be able to share her culture with New Zealanders.
Guest of honour was the Thai ambassador Noppadon Theppitak who said the two occasions were a cause for celebration for Thai people all across the world.
Family bonds were extremely important in Thailand and it was not uncommon for weddings to be open to the public, he said.
The two other Kāpiti couples were John Weaver and Gasorn Nakarin, and Ian Morton and Gough Boonmeephon.
