Bangkok--2 Jul--The Briza Resort Group The Briza Beach Resort and Spa Samui, the “Thai cultural theme resort” on idyllic Samui Island, captures the spirit of glorious Srivijaya kingdom, the grace of its art and the serenity that springs from a civilization mounded by the gentle Buddhist faith through its elegant design and exclusive personalized service which are praised among tourists from all over the world. The Briza Beach Resort and Spa brings the guests back to the traditional Thai living way with its warm welcome like the heyday, including the unique Srivijaya wedding ceremony that cannot be found in the modern days. By bringing the enchanted Srivijaya culture back to life and making it real, The Briza Beach Resort and Spa Samui is able to attract tourists from Thailand and all over the world. It also continues to research on every aspects of Srivijaya culture in order to provide exceptional services where the guests can relive the exotic experience of this historic kingdom and Srivijaya wedding ceremony is one of the keys. The idea has led the Briza Beach Resort and Spa Samui to offer the Srivijaya wedding ceremony service that is the perfect combination of modern and traditional culture for the guests who want unforgettable experience in the lifetime. This retrospective wedding ceremony generates genuine interest from those who are about to enter matrimony. The hotel’s first honorable couple to experience the unique Srivijaya wedding ceremony was advertising model Miss Jolene Fox and her fianc้ Mr. Noel Tan from Singapore. The wedding was arranged on 17 June 2007. Mr. Nijjaporn Maprasert, Group General Manager of the Briza Beach Resort, said that Miss Fox and Mr. Tan decided to enter the Srivijaya-style matrimony because their friends who came to stay at the Briza Beach Resort and Spa Samui last year has sparked their keen interest in the one-of-the-kind wedding and they also have been fascinated with Srivijaya culture for a long time, so they contacted the hotel to arrange such service for them. It took over four months for the hotel’s staff to prepare the perfect and elegant wedding for the couple to share the one-of-a-lifetime experience that will last in their minds forever. In the early morning of the wedding day (around 6 a.m.) nine monks were invited to receive alms from the couple and the monks said prayers to the couple, followed by the traditional sprinkling water ceremony at Darlah Bar which overlooks the beautiful Chaweng Beach. In this ceremony, the bride and the groom sat at a prepared bench, then place their arms on pillows and stretch their hands towards pedestals. The bride sits on the left and the groom sits on the right. The head of the ceremony wore each one a necklace of flowers and a pair of garland, then, anoints their foreheads, and sprinkle holy water on their hands. The guests were then invited to sprinkle holy water, starting from the most senior. The bride and groom then pay obeisance to their senior relatives. Their parents could give them another homily. The groom would pay obeisance to both side parents. After the ceremony in the morning, the bride and the groom changed into Southern tradition wedding clothes and joined the Srivijaya-style splendid procession which consisted of 60 people. Among those in the procession were young ladies carrying flower bouquets, tray of gifts and buntings and sturdy young men bearing a palanquin which has the bride and the groom inside. Music is played during the whole procession ceremony and the procession stopped at the marquee down the beach. The objective of the glamorous and colorful procession is to show the wealth of the families of those newly weds in that time. As the procession stopped in front of the marquee, the bride and the groom registered a marriage certificate in front of the assistant district officer of Samui Island who was present there as their witness, followed by the exchange of vows and wedding rings. This concludes the marriage ceremony. The guests were then invited to join the cocktail lunch which was a mix between international and Thai style in order to fit the needs of the newly weds and their guests who were mostly non-Thai residents. After that, the bride and the groom retreated to their room at Srivijaya Beach Front Pool Villa of which interior design is influenced by the mansion of wealthy people in Srivijaya era and gold sequined red silk is an important decorative item in the room because it represents happiness, prosperity, and wealth according to the belief of people in Srivijaya period. The newly weds has requested the ‘beach BBQ party’ as the evening feast. Everyone can feel the love and warmth in the air as romantic music was playing in the background of this cozy party. The couple and their guests were all impressed with the beautiful religious ceremony in the morning and the romantic evening feast.Mr. Nijjaporn concluded that Mr. and Mrs. Tan, the first couple to use Srivijaya wedding ceremony service, expressed their gratitude towards the hotel’s staff for their devotion in preparing the perfect wedding for the couple. They said that the memorable wedding ceremony, the exquisite hotel suite, and attentive services were beyond their expectation and they would definitely come back to stay at the hotel. They would also share their great experience of the one-and-only Srivijaya wedding at the Briza Beach Resort and Spa Samui with their friends. For more information, please visit www.thebriza.com or email our room reservation office in Bangkok at [email protected] and [email protected] , or call us at 0-2251-3118-21, 0-2251-1585-6 from Monday through Saturday. For more details please contact; Ms.Usanisa Khanchanuan Sales & Marketing Department, The Briza Resort Group Tel.02 2513118-21, 02-2511585-86 E-mail address: [email protected] Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net