hua hin wedding.

[simmo116]

hi guys any chance of a bit of advice please. i plan to come to hua hin next august and would like to get married there (both farrangs.) and would like to know how to go about it. ive tried googling but just get inundated with extortianate wedding planners. we just want a modest budhist ceremony and nice meal afterwards for a party of about 10. would i have to get papers form bkk first (sure i read that somwhere) anyway the miss's is tightning the thumbscrews now so any help/advice would be greatly apreciated.
thanx in advance.

[Big Boy]

Here are some old threads that might help:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=17823
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=17695
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16682

Basically, have a look around while you're waiting for an answer - almost certainly the answer is out there.

[PeteC]

A couple of thoughts:

1) Can two foreigners register a marriage here under Thai law? I think no, but open to those who may know better. My thinking is that one party has to be a Thai citizen. Another point is that being foreigners, you may not want to subject yourself to Thai law and all that may encompass.

2) A traditional Thai Buddhist ceremony is just that, a ceremony which is not legally binding. You have to do the legal part separately.

If we're talking about the ceremony where both parties have a string tied to their head etc., I think a Monk or Monks are present, but it is usually presided over and conducted by the parents or family members of the bride and/or groom. In any event, you will need a Thai wedding planner or similar to arrange all that, as it is a very Thai process.

Anyway, food for thought and additional conversation. Pete

[lomuamart]

I don't see why two foreigners can't get legally married in Thailand. They'd just go through the same process as a Thai couple or Thai/foreigner.
If the OP wants to register the marriage here, as opposed to just having a religious Buddhist blessing, then they'll need an affirmation of freedom to marry from their Embassy in BKK, get that officially translated into Thai and stamped by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then registered at any Amphur (district) office. That would make the marriage legal in the eyes of most countries - certainly in the UK, I'm sure. The couple may also want to then register at their Embassy.
The process will involve a bit of running around in BKK but shouldn't take more than two days to get the documents ready there. Submit the application to the Embassy. Go back to the next day to collect early in the morning and the Thai parts can be done in one day if they pay for express service at the Ministry.
I'd be inclined to get in touch with your Embassy. If it's the British one, then the consular section have their email address on the Embassy web site and I've found them quick to reply. There's also information about costs on the site as well.
As Pete has said, the Buddhist blessing has no legal standing but the couple may want to go through it afterwards anyway. I can't give advice on how to arrange that though.

[margaretcarnes]

I agree largely with Lomu. The first step has to be to contact your Embassy - or maybe more easy to contact the Foreign and Consular office in your home country well in advance to ask their advice.
For sure a purely Buddhist only ceremony in Thailand will not give any legal status to the marriage as far as your home country is concerned.
Even with a farang/thai marriage in Thailand it is not legal in the farangs' home country unless it is registered at his or her Embassy.
I do understand your desire to do it without too much fuss and in the more traditional Thai way, but (sorry Lomu) I do have doubts as to whether a couple of days running around Bangkok would crack it. Especially if you aren't familiar with the place.
It might be easier to just have a civil (register office) marriage in your home country followed by a Thai Buddhist wedding in Thailand. Even that would involve needing to recruit the monks to do the Thai thing, and that - realistically - can only be arranged once you are in Thailand.
The traditional Thai wedding is conducted at the crack of dawn, starting around 6 am, and is usually conducted under awnings out in the street outside the brides house. The wedding carries on all day and well into the night, with the main reception in the evenng.
Quite how you could arrange for the monks to carry aout a blessing for a farang marriage I have no idea. They have a pretty strict regime from dawn until dusk, and would need to be able to fit it in somewhere. So to arrange it on your own you would need to be able to find someone locally to act as a go between. Which is where the wedding planners there have the advantage, and why they can charge the extortionate prices - because they already have the contacts in place.

[lomuamart]

Just a small point from Mags' post. It isn't necessary for the marriage to be registered at the Embassy for it to be legal in the UK. Once you've done the necessary at the registry office here, that's it. I did look into the pros of registering with the Embassy but other than parting with more money there didn't seem much point. If I remember correctly, the marriage certificate was lodged at some UK government department which made it easier to authenticate the marriage if you lost the original certificate.

[Vital Spark]

Mr.VS & I got married in Thailand in 1999 in our flat in Bangkok. We had a group of monks come (organised by our Thai friends), but we didn't do any of the paperwork. It was a wonderful and special day.

We looked into getting all the paperwork done here in Thailand, but it was so expensive and complicated that we gave up. We did the 'legal' bit by having a very quiet (only four of us) ceremony at a registry office when we went back to the UK for a holiday. It was by far the easiest, cheapest and most hassle-free option.

Good luck,
VS

[simmo116]

thanks for all the replys.
it looks as though we may go with the registra ceremony in uk and then try and organise some sort of thai blessing once in hua hin.my thai friend in uk has mentioned that he will be there at the same time as me. and i believe his close friend works for a hua hin newspaper.but dont quote me on that.you know what its like getting lost in translation. so hopefully will have a few local conections once am there.

weddings are such big expences nowadays. my future wife and i just want a nice small modest ceremony with some close friends and our kids. am in HH for ten days so should be able to sort something out. can anyone recomend a excellent resrtuant for that special evening meal.

thanx again guys.

[canthai]

Hi Simmo, my wife and I are renewing our wedding in February in Hua Hin at our vacation home. We have arranged a Thai Ceremony with monks and all the bells and whistles. As we arranged it all our self the cost is very reasonable. I will let you know how it goes and can put you in touch with the various people involved. Our ceremony is on Feb 12, 2012. If you have not organized anything by then please send me a PM.

PS: It is easier to do the formal paperwork in your home country. You can still enjoy the Thai ceremony and party.

Good Luck
Craig

[huahinjim]

In case you haven't quite decided to marry in the UK, check the British Embassy website guidance on getting married here:

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help- ... -marriage/

If you want to deposit the marriage certificate (but not a legal requirement) advice is here:

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help- ... arriage-uk

Good luck wherever you tie the knot :-)

[simmo116]

Hi Simmo, my wife and I are renewing our wedding in February in Hua Hin at our vacation home. We have arranged a Thai Ceremony with monks and all the bells and whistles. As we arranged it all our self the cost is very reasonable. I will let you know how it goes and can put you in touch with the various people involved. Our ceremony is on Feb 12, 2012. If you have not organized anything by then please send me a PM.

PS: It is easier to do the formal paperwork in your home country. You can still enjoy the Thai ceremony and party.



Craig

thanx craig will do. hope all goes well for feb.

In case you haven't quite decided to marry in the UK, check the British Embassy website guidance on getting married here:

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help- ... -marriage/

If you want to deposit the marriage certificate (but not a legal requirement) advice is here:

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help- ... arriage-uk

Good luck wherever you tie the knot :-)

thanx for the advice but dont really want to waste what little time we have in thailand waiting in line or getting vexed with couriers.lol

thanx again

[margaretcarnes]

Mr.VS & I got married in Thailand in 1999 in our flat in Bangkok. We had a group of monks come (organised by our Thai friends), but we didn't do any of the paperwork. It was a wonderful and special day.

We looked into getting all the paperwork done here in Thailand, but it was so expensive and complicated that we gave up. We did the 'legal' bit by having a very quiet (only four of us) ceremony at a registry office when we went back to the UK for a holiday. It was by far the easiest, cheapest and most hassle-free option.

Good luck,
VS

That sounds ideal VS - and what a memory to have. Did you have the reception at home or go to a restaurant? Just thinking about what the OP has asked about a special restaurant in HH. There is a huge choice in Bangkok of course - and in HH these days - but I think for me in HH it would have to be Brasserie de Paris I think. (And an excuse to go twice - once first to try it out!)

[stevo]

Hi,

I am getting married in Pranburi Nov 2015, and looking to arrange a traditional Thai Buddhist ceremony for that morning. This is turning out to be very difficult to find someone who can point me in the right direction, and it is extremely important I can sort something out as it will make the world of difference to our big day!

If anyone can offer advice or point me the right direction, I would be eternally grateful.

[GLCQuantum]

^

Stupid question, but are either yourself, or your wife-to-be, Buddhist? If the answer is 'yes', then you can proceed to any temple nearby to make arrangements.

[Vital Spark]

Stevo: If you're not marrying a Thai lady, you really need a Thai in the locality to arrange the monks to be at an appointed place at the right time (as we did 16 years ago). We didn't need any proof that we were Buddhist (it's a philosophy, not a religion like Catholicism). If your good lady is Thai, then a trip to the local wat to 'hire' some monks should be no problem.

Good luck.

VS