A Chuukese Wedding

This last Sunday I had the privilege to attend a Chuukese wedding here at our SDA church. Chuukese weddings are much like weddings in America but there are a few things that are very different.
The teachers were in charge of making enough cupcakes to feed about 200 people! Let's just say that Saturday night was filled with LOTS of cake mix! We also were in charge of decorations, which we also worked on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
After much hard work the church was transformed into wedding worthy looks. The wedding, which was scheduled for 12 PM, started at 1:30. The church was ABSOLUTELY packed. People lined the windows outside just to watch the ceremony. Luckily, some of us SMs were able to get a seat inside.
The wedding started with the entrance of important people, family member, adorable flower girls and Bible bearers, and the usual groomsmen and bridesmaids. One thing they did differently is they had the groomsmen come in first and line up. Then as the bridesmaids walked in they, the groomsmen, met them half way, gave them a flower, and escorted them to their spots.
It was then the brides time to walk in (in which no one stood up, which was really different to me). Her father escorted her half way where the groom came and met her with a flower. As they reached the front of the church the groomsmen pulled out a couch for them to sit on (definitely going down at my wedding) during the message. The message was given in both Chuukese and English. Vows were exchanged, a special Chuukese song was organized (on the spot), and the bride and groom exited the church.
The reception was in a tent outside in the parking lot. Chuukese culture includes a lot of food. Full course meals with LOTS of rice, chicken, bread fruit, and of course cupcakes were given out to everyone. The wedding ended about an hour and a half to two hours later.










Some other cultural differences between here and America is that people are not to show affection around their parents. No kissing, hand holding, or any affection was showed during the wedding. In normal, day to day life this is also true. It is also very rude to ask any one besides the bride or groom information about the wedding, or to just simply talk about it around or with them. Even if it is the mother of the bride, you are not to ask. Overall it was a very beautiful wedding!