Ready or knot
Destination Weddings ties it all up for wedding traditions in different cultures.
WHO doesn’t like weddings – be they simple or lavish? In Asian circles, you can add age-old tradition, the family factor and superstition to the wedding equation.
With that in mind, comes the new programme entitled Destination Weddings which airs on Travel Channel (Hypptv Ch 145) on Thursdays at 7.30pm. The show features weddings centred on traditional as well as contemporary ceremonies.
In Destination Weddings, former beauty queen Deborah Henry is the traveller who “accompanies” these soon-to-wed couples on their joyous adventures. “I have never known how much there was to learn about weddings and so much to do in preparation until I did this programme,” said Henry about this new series.
Destination Weddings is a juxtaposition of the old with the new that aims to showcase, contrast and compare two kinds of nuptials: the ones that are held on home ground and the ones that defy the norm by being held in a location away from the home country.
For the uninitiated, each episode will feature two weddings. The first is a destination wedding which features a foreign couple who have come to an Asian country for an exotic wedding.
The second wedding highlights a local affair. “Covering a dozen wedding ceremonies in six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – has been an educational experience on the different values and practices. In the Philippines, they even have a monkey ring-bearer, and in Bali, there was a teeth-filing ceremony to even the teeth to ward off evil spirits during a traditional Balinese Hindu wedding,” she added.
With a laugh, Henry added that after six months spent on the road with Destination Weddings, there were two important things she picked up while doing this series.
“First, remember to hire a wedding planner as it will make your life easier, and the second is to get married only once, if you can manage it!”
This is also the first time that Travel Channel commissioned a programme in Asia. Red Communications director Lina Tan, who is also the producer of Destination Weddings, said they looked across Asia to find a host for the series and Henry’s intelligence struck them.
“We did the usual casting/ audition process but she struck us as being the perfect traveller for the programme. And a pretty face is a bonus,” she added.
Tan also explained that not all the couples and families were keen to be part of the show, and there were several instances where the shoot had to be cancelled because the parties involved backed out.
However, things worked out well in the end, with big dramatic moments such as runaway brides ... or grooms.
Destination Weddings airs on Travel Channel (HyppTV channel 145), Thursdays at 7.30pm.