Door Ceremony
Way back then a traditional Thai wedding ceremony would have a “Door Ceremony” where the groom would open the gates on route to the house of the bride. In order to open the gates as each gate the groom had to provide a gift. These gifts become larger the closer the groom gets to the house of the bride. Nowadays the doors are being replaced by girls holding onto a chain. At each part of the chain the person normally the sisters of the bride would ask if he is wealthy enough to care for their sister and family. Each time he would present them with an envelope of money. Each time he passes from one to the other, the audience would cheer.
Wash feet ceremony
The “Door Ceremony” is followed by the “Feet Washing Ceremony”. Some of the ceremonies are no longer really practiced. The husband would stand on a chair while the wife would bow at his feet. She would then proceed to wash his feet and wai (ไหว้). This is to symbolize her allegiance and respect of her husband.
During this time the dowry is shown to all the guests. Normally this dowry is returned to the couple after the ceremony and shows only that the groom is financially sound to take care of the family. This would be the normal traditional Thai wedding. Even if the marriage is not registered, those in the village would still view them as husband and wife. As a Westerner you would have to register your marriage for legal and visa application purposes.
Shell ceremony
The final procedure for a traditional Thai wedding is that the couple kneels on a small pedestal with clasped hands. They would have garlands around their necks and a village elder would say a few words. Each guest would then arrive and pour holy water out of a shell onto their hands and saying a few words. They also hand the couple an envelope filled with money and the couple would reciprocate by handing them a small wedding memento. This lasts for a few hours.