Phone, do you have pictures of you sister wedding? What other things did you do, I really want it to be awesome, and really Lao.
We will have Lao food, and now I'm wondering what to have for guest favorite. I also need to start ordering flower to be planted. We are going to try to have real flowers that still are in the dirt around the reception, that way the guest can take it along to replant.
My sister didn't get married. It was for the Laos pageant. My aunt did get married in 2003, and I can ask her for photos of her hair. I forgot what she used for hers. But I'll ask to borrow pictures if she has a close up of her hair.
Also...this is so funny, but the grooms' name was Huat (the stuff you make sticky rice in), so for his wedding they put huats up on the wall and placed flowers in them. I thought is was so Laos! And at their wedding, they had the khene keychains (musical instrument) that you can actually make sounds with as party favors. They just got it in Laos when his mother visited there. Other Lao weddings have the "pho spoons" and dipped them in white chocolate. Someone had a chinese themed wedding and had mini fans for everyone (but that's Chinese).
For my aunt's wedding, she didn't have party favors because she did her's on a budget and just had roses placed in vases and whoever wanted those can take it. She just ordered the roses at Costco because they were cheap there and got vases from various craft stores (dollar store too). Very similar to what you are doing. As for my other aunt...I don't really remember her wedding because I was younger. I know we had tons of balloons. However, my aunts had a fruit table at the wedding and had a Laos lady carve the watermelon (like those thai fruit carving stuff) and used kahn as the base of the watermelon and decorated with other fruits. I used to have that picture on my my computer, but I erased them and I don't know where I put them. I will have to ask my aunt to borrow her photo album.
Other wedding favor ideas: if somebody knows how to make that rice cake with carmelized sugar on top, that would be a great Laos party favor. It's crunchy and very tasty. Or you can look up Laos coffee or tea and see how much that would cost you and then when you get it, you can place a scoop of it in a mini bag with a bow tied around it. There's one place in the US that sells Arabica coffee, but maybe you can get a better deal with the Laotian based store. I've never tasted Lao coffee or seen it as a favor. Your brother's wedding can be the first! You can also find mini white elephant statues for "Lan Xang" or anything with elephants on them.
I'll see if I can get those pictures & post it up by Friday.
