Wedding service, laos

Hi, I was wondering if it is possible to have a wedding service in Laos, we're from the uk and looking into some possiblities, any help anyone can give is very much appreciated.

pm somsai he lives in Vientianne, is there a British Embassy in Laos? to register your marraige for British records.

no British Embassy in Laos, the Australian one looks after all Commonwealth country passport holers. Interesting question. What sort of wedding do you want? I guess it would have to follow a similar tradition to the Lao one because they would be noone but the Mor Phon to hold the service. Anyways I am looking forward to somsai's response.

Actually never lived in Vientiane, long term tourist only.

As far as I can tell there are two distinct different parts to marriage in Laos.

The legal side including perhaps an engagement contract or at the least a meeting between the two families, the registering of names with the village authorities and getting a new family book which means the legal papers registering you and your progeny or other household members.

Then there is the side that you can do as a foreigner which Ms. BOTR mentioned, with all the mumbo jumbo, tying of strings, groom being driven away from the brides house etc. Don’t mean to denigrate the ceremony it’s actually quite nice, the whole thing was discussed a while ago and username phakphone had quite a description, being a socialist he attended many social functions while in Vientiane. BOTR actually knows the entire ceremony down to the origin of the symbolism behind every gesture. She’s being coy.

Part of the legal side that you can take part in is The Bride Price. Assuming that you haven’t discussed it with your future in-laws yet you might consider paying at least a symbolic amount. Recently user name Mr. Mozzies offered a couple buffalo or ten bags of rice for another unnamed member of this forum. A more modern version is a new motorcycle or a new bed on which to …. Oh well never mind.

Something that could be brought back on the plane and usually goes over well is a hundred grams of the orange gold sold upstairs at the morning market.

Also no need to learn to dance for the reception just wave your hands while drunk.

Get someone to take some pictures and congratulations in advance.

good to know mr somsai, thanks. when ms moon accept my generous offer i'll hire you (with 2 free range chickens and 1kg of bang nua) to perform the baci at our ceremony.

Hey guys many thanks for the responses, maybe I should have added that we're both british, i dont know if that changes anything, could you let me know if its possible for two british nationals to be married in laos, hey somsai you sure are knowledgable on laos, i should have mailed you before my trip there. Thanks again for the responses much appreciated

I have researched just this earlier in the year for our wedding. Long gone are the days when you could get married at your embassy anywhere in the world. Even if there were one in Laos. The Australian embassy does not provide this service for their citizens or those from the UK.

In Laos (as in many countries) the legal and ceremonial parts of the wedding are separate. If you want to organise a (baci) ceremony there are people who can organise this for you ie the suggestion #5 made. A Laos couple would then register (ie the legal bit) in the local village logbook.

So by all means organise a ceremony in Laos but if you want to be legally wed, you will need to get this done at a registery office elsewhere.

A festive non-legal wedding service in Laos can be arranged. If you are in Luang Prabang, Phusi Hotel on the main street can arrange one on their lawn.

didn't Mick Jagger have a money saving marraige in Thailand with one of his wives, that upon divorce proved to be invalid. Saved him millions. If you marry abroad you will still need to register any legal marraige with the British Embassy of that country to validate it in UK, I think I'll stay single for now after sweating buffalos over the bride price, I'd rather take the buffalo ;-))

#9 is incorrect here. A marriage is legal anywhere in the world as long as it is legally registered in the country you married. So you need to check the requirements for lawful marriage in the country you intend to marry in.

So for example if you married in Thailand through a registry office there it would be recognised in England. As an additional step you can have your local marriage certificate translated into English, sworn as a legitimate copy and then lodge it with the British Registry of births, deaths and marriages. There is no requirement to do so, but it means if you ever lose your marriage certificate you can get another copy in the UK.

FYI Mick Jagger got married in Bali - he had a ceremonial wedding without the legal bit, hence the fortunate (for him) discovery many years later that he was not legally married.

There is no legal basis in Lao law for two foreigners to be wed. As such, any wedding ceremony you hold in Laos will not be able to be registered as a legal marriage in your home country.

You can get married in Thailand, though.

Just dont marry a Thai girl....

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<hr>FYI Mick Jagger got married in Bali - he had a ceremonial wedding without the legal bit, hence the fortunate (for him) discovery many years later that he was not legally married.<hr></blockquote>

Actually, the issue was that this his marriage was conducted using a very bad imitation of a Hindu ceremony, with a few compliant priests taking part. When it came to the attention of the more senior religious officials, there was a bit of a stink about it: the Balinese felt rather that it was a bit tasteless just to throw in a few priests for a bit of local colour when no-one there was really a hindu and decided it wasn't a legal marriage. In the end, though, I think Mick still had to part with a lot more money than he was comfortable parting with.

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<hr>A marriage is legal anywhere in the world as long as it is legally registered in the country you married. <hr></blockquote>

Same in Australia, with a few exceptions: for example, in Indonesia you may be able to have more than one wife. Australia only recognizes the first one as being legal, regardless of whether the others are kosher in Indonesia.