On June 23, 2019 the Vietnam Women’s Union held a collective wedding ceremony for 65 disadvantaged couples.
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Everyone wished that once in their lifetime they could don the beautiful wedding attire and take wedding photos.
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But they still had yet to realize that simple dream…
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…until the collective wedding ceremony is held in Hanoi to mark Vietnamese Family Day on June 28.
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The collective wedding ceremony partakes in Vietnam’s traditional wedding rituals, as when the groom’s family prepares gifts in trays to present to the bride’s family.
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...and exchanging kisses are all the procedures they wish to make at their wedding party.
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Nguyen Thi Hoa and Nguyen Ngoc Khuyen of Yen Bai province got married 14 years ago. Hoa, a normal woman, and Khuyến, who is visually impaired, broke down preconceptions of their families to live together and now have three children.
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Hoa tenderly puts her husband’s tie in place while preparing to walk down the aisle.
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Tran Van Triet and Nguyen Thi Nhien got married in 1991 and now have two children and grandchildren. Mr. Triet said they held a very simple wedding ceremony because they were poor. At this collective wedding ceremony, the couple is very happy to don beautiful clothes and have their children and grandchildren from Soc Son district on the outskirts of Hanoi present at the wedding.
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Luong Van Quy and Hoang Thi Luyen from Ha Giang province were both born in 1983. Mr. Quy is blind from birth while Mrs. Luyen is also blind and suffers from Agent Orange/dioxin exposure. They got to know each other when they participated in art performances hosted by their local association for disabled people. Mr. Quy said that although they’ve never seen each other, they love each other with sincere hearts.
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The couple has two sons. One is 14 years old and one is 13 months old.
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The younger brother is quite active so the elder brother keeps a close eye on him.
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Quy and Luyen earn their living by busking and face a lot of difficulties in life. They traversed the long distance to fulfill Luyen's dream of wearing a wedding dress once in her lifetime.
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The whole family left Ha Giang, which is about 300 kilometers north of Hanoi, the night before and arrived in Hanoi at 3 a.m on June 23. Because they live far away, they could not join the other couples in a pre-wedding photoshoot hosted by organizers.
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They are very happy to have their sons attending the ceremony with them. The elder son Hoang The Trong is now their eyes, Mrs. Luyen said, adding that he helps his parents with lot of housework but mainly takes care of his younger brother.
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Organizers share the happiness of the brides and grooms.
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Tran Van Thuong and An Thi Kim Tien got married in 2007 and now have one daughter and one son. To make ends meet, Mrs. Tien sews scarves and Mr. Truong sells brooms.
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The couple uses money economically and receives support from both families, which helps relieve their burden.
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The brides and grooms at the collective wedding ceremony are sponsored with wedding photos, wedding flowers, costs of make-up, wedding costumes, and other wedding services. Each couple is allowed to invite no more than 10 relatives to the ceremony. They are presented with a blanket, a fan, an electronic rice cooker, towels, and 85 USD in cash.
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