A Pathen bride poses with two of her friends on her wedding day in 1998 in Tan Trinh commune, Ha Giang Province. Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

In communities of minority peoples living in northern Vietnam—the Giay, Hmong, Thai and Yao, among others—the bride makes a significant life journey on her wedding day. Escorted by members of both wedding parties, she leaves her own home and joins her new husband’s family, bringing with her the household goods needed for her new life. At altars in both houses, a family representative reports the union to the ancestors: first to the bride’s ancestors, and then to those of the groom. In each household, the family invites the entire community to join in its celebratory feast.

In the past, these weddings involved many complicated procedures over the course or two or three days, but today’s ceremonies may be shorter, less elaborate and less expensive. In some places, brides and grooms of minority communities have adopted the wedding costumes and rituals of the Kinh majority people.

The Dowry of a Thai Bride
Depending on the wealth of her family, a Thai bride may have a dowry including silver jewelry and money as well as such practical items as a mattress, blankets, pillows, mosquito nets and clothing. Families begin to assemble the bride’s jewelry well in advance of the wedding, and a Thai girl begins the weaving and sewing at age 13 or 14. At her wedding, she will give similar gifts of blankets, mattresses, pillows and skirts to the matchmakers and to important members of the groom’s family.