Happy Holidays!

Hey everyone! Happy holidays. I can’t believe xmas is just around the corner and that 2009 will be upon us in no time.

Apologies to our 5 fans that our recent postings have dropped off because “it’s that time of the year again.” In addition to a dismal showing of articles in December so far, we haven’t been doing much on the wedding planning front either, except for our engagement party, a Vietnamese tradition before the bride and groom get married.

At the engagement party, the groom’s family is responsible for bringing gifts of tea, fruit, sweets and cognac for the bride’s family while the bride’s family is responsible for the food and hosting the event. The two families officially meet, with introductions of family members by someone appointed on each side of the family (in this case it would most likely be our dads), with short speeches from the couple’s parents and the couple themselves. Before the ceremony I have to give my ring back to Khiem and then he has to give it back to me. Then, and only then, will we be “officially engaged” ;)

~sd