We left for Bangkok, Thailand in the beginning of March to embark on our month long Asia adventure, with our wedding happening on March 19th. The week leading up to the wedding was wild; COVID-19 had been deemed a global pandemic, countries had begun closing their borders, sports around the world had fully stopped, and our guest list was evaporating. When we left for Asia, we had 120 confirmed travelers, but leading up to the event, we had calls and text coming in every day from people who's flights had been cancelled, had pressure from their families to not go, cautionary health limitations, instructions from employers to not travel, and multiple people who had already lost their jobs. It was hectic, and stressful. Not to mention the anxiety caused by a changing public health climate in Thailand (check out the two previous episodes for more of those details). We tried to stay positive, not placing blame on anyone, but rather chalking the whole thing up to bad timing, bad luck, and being empathetic that each guest needed to be do what was best for them and their families first. It felt like everything was going wrong for us, and the ability to even host the wedding was in jeopardy. Both of our parents were the first to arrive in Bangkok which immediately settled some of our nerves, and as more people started to land in Thailand we knew there was some light at the end of the tunnel. The wedding was on Thursday, and by Monday that week, we had a little over 30 people in town. That day a bunch of us explored the Thai Grand Palace and a few temples, and went out that evening. By Thursday, we had over 60 people show up from around the world. We hosted a welcome reception, the night before the wedding, on our own private dinner cruise down the Chao Phraya River. The cruise was almost cancelled, when the Thai Government began to shut down gatherings of over 100 people. And instead of hosting a private event on the cruise, we "bought every public ticket available for the cruise instead" and everyone walked onto the boat with a ticket in hand. It would be the last river cruise for that company. The following day were THE WEDDINGS. Yes, plural. Amanda and I were having a traditional Thai KHAN MAK which includes a traditional Thai clothing, a parade, dowry negotiation, and water pouring ceremony. That event happened at the House on Sathorn Road, a 130 year old, colonial house, and historical landmark in Bangkok. The evening reception was more what you might be used to, white dress and black tux, speeches, cheers, cake, and dancing, but without the "i do" (because we did that in the morning Thai ceremony).
But back to the beginning of this whole thing, where it seemed like everything was falling apart. After the wedding happened, our perspective had completely changed. It wasn't bad luck at all, it was actually good luck. If our wedding were to be in Seattle, or almost anywhere else in the world, it wouldn't have happened at all. We've talked about how sad we feel for the thousands of brides and grooms out there that had to cancel and reschedule their big days. Or the couples that are currently in the planning process right now, looking at a giant unknown if they can even host an event at that time. Our hearts go out to all of those couples right now, we know exactly what you are going through, and my best advice is that this is going to be a challenge that you will tackle together. The advice we received at the wedding from Amanda's parents was if we can handle the craziness of planning and executing a wedding on the other side of the world, during a global pandemic, it was a good sign for the strength of our relationship.
That Thursday evening, a Level 4 Travel Advisory would be put in place and it was time for everyone to rush home. Our next episode will cover the mad last minute dash to get back to America. >> next episode
