Different cultures around the world have different ways of celebrating and giving reverence to the sanctity of marital vows, like the Khmer Wedding in Cambodia. This traditional wedding ceremony lasts for three consecutive days wherein the bride and groom are required to wear three outfits for the three ceremonies leading up to their eventual union. These three days are in respect to the three jewels of Buddhism, which is the major religion revered in Cambodia.

The ceremonies that consists a three-day Khmer Wedding in Cambodia are:

• The Dowry and Tea Ceremony. This is when the dowry is presented by the groom and his family to the bride and her family. After the bride’s family accepts this formal offer to get married, the groom and bride-to-be takes part in a tea ceremony during which they both offer tea to their family ancestors. This is also when a bride wears her first wedding dress or kahen in either blue or purple as an offering of prosperity. This is paired with a sash worn around it known as sbaay.
• Hair-Cutting Ceremony. This particular ceremony is done as symbol of a fresh start for the couple. The kahen that the bride wears for this event is colored in gold and silver, bedecked in jewels and sequins. The groom wears silk shirt and pants that are loose-fitting and are in matching colors of gold and silver. Wearing these colors are representations of the gold and silver wedding bands which they will wear in the actual wedding ceremony.
• Pairing Ceremony. This is the actual wedding event where the bride and groom are dressed in exquisite clothes. The colors worn for this ceremony are red and gold, which are colors of royalty. This ceremony is further divided into sub-parts in order to maintain organization throughout this intricately long event.

Khmer Weddings in Cambodia takes its tradition from ancient history, but people who wish to modernize their wedding to conform to the needs of their lifestyles can compress these ceremonies into a single day. They should, however, still conform to the following conditions in planning a Khmer wedding:

• Ideally, a Khmer Wedding in Cambodia should not coincide with the bride or groom’s birthday, any religious day, natural occurring phenomenon like eclipses, and Khmer new years.
• Khmer tradition usually allows couples to marry only during the 30-day months and not on any other month. In addition, there are only 7 days of each month that are considered to be appropriate for such a ceremony, if couples are to consider fortune.
• Some Khmer families do not want their sons or daughters to marry during the rainy season. Some would even delay the ceremony for two years prior to the engagement ceremony due to a belief in fortune telling.