Phong and I went to his workmate's wedding ceremony yesterday afternoon. K didn't introduce the bride to me. It was the most minimal ceremony. The celebrant read the monitum - the official definition of marriage and had each of them in turn repeat two words at a time their call for us present to witness that they took each other as their lawfully wedded wife/husband. They didn't use the opportunity to make their own personal vows. There was no ring ceremony, no flowers.They did dress up nicely. I felt the couple were treating it as a purely bureaucratic registration procedure, much like the unceremonious filling in and signing forms to legally register a marriage at a District Office in Thailand. The celebrant turned on a recording of the Pachelbel Canon at very low volume while the couple signed the Federal government Marriage Certificate and Phong and a relative (brother?) of the bride signed as witnesses. The celebrant sends the paperwork to the Victorian Births Deaths and Marriages office for it to post the state marriage registration certificate to them some time later. The only other person present was a Thai woman friend (of the bride?) in ripped jeans who wasn't introduced to me. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself to her. There were a few photos of the group taken on mobile phones in the ceremony room and in front of the facade of the building
There was a lunch with just the six of us in a large Thai restaurant in the basement of a hotel in one of the lanes of the city centre. The conversation was entirely in Thai. Although Phong was sitting next to the bride, I don't think she had a conversation with him. I asked Phong what the general conversation was about. He said it was about the visa, but he didn't take the opportunity to ask any questions and find out more about the couple's story. Otherwise they apparently just talked about food. There was no conversation with the bride and groom and me except when K shook hands and thanked me for coming when everybody left straight after the meal and the bride and the others just wai-ed, smiled and said Sawatdee, kap.
It was pouring rain when we left the restaurant.
We spent some hours today for Phong to write his statement on the Statutory Declaration in support of the bride's application for a marriage visa. He wrote what very little he knows and didn't make anything up. He had only the fact that K told him he loves her, that they live together and their appearance as reasons for feeling the relationship is genuine. He speculated that the bride's unforthcomingness is cultural and perhaps out of respect for him a an older man. He thinks that they think that paying the migration agent's $3000 fee will suffice for the visa to be granted. Who knows ?
t will take months after they submit the application.
