The Happiest Moment in the Happiest Country

She said:

“Are we married yet?” I whispered, Eug replied “I have no idea.”  I looked back at the monks chanting in unison and one of them gestured us to walk up to the head monk.  We shuffled along (alright, it was mainly me because I was in the traditional Bhutanese kira and I kept on stepping on it) and came to a stop when we reached the head monk sitting higher up on a raised platform.  He had looked very serious when he was chanting earlier but he instantaneously broke into a warm smile and gave us his blessings.   He then handed us a certificate (only our names were legible to us, the rest was in Bhutanese) and sent us back to our seats.  “We are married?!” I asked Eug while trying hard to refrain from jumping up and down since the monks continued on chanting.  “Yeah, I guess so.” Eug replied quietly.  He looked like he was about to let out some tears of joy, or was it tears of sadness parting with his bachelor-hood?  Then we decided to do a quick ring exchange on the side to say the magical “I Do’s” to each other before a cup of hot milk tea was brought to us.  We were told to take turns feeding each other some tea to signify that we were one together (or something like that).  I was too excited to remember the details but I did remember the tea being very good and the biscuits that came with the tea were delicious too.  I couldn’t stop eating because I was famished by then.  And I couldn’t stop smiling because I was ecstatic.  We got married!!!

That all took place in the Dechen Phodrang monastery in Thimpu, Bhutan.  We took a short flight from Kathmandu to Bhutan and the time change was a difference of 15 minutes.  I thought that was strange.  Bhutan is supposedly the happiest place in the world.  It measures neither GDP nor GNP but GNH – Gross National Happiness.  Since then 90% of the people have been ‘happy’, so we were told by our passionate and enthusiastic guide Dhendup.  Dhendup also pointed out that there aren’t any traffic lights in the entire country.  They aren’t necessary because the drivers tend to let others go first.  I might also add that there aren’t any Stop signs either.  The Bhutanese people lead simple lives and their beloved King encourages the people to strive for true happiness derived from within and not from materialism.  McDonald’s and almost any stores we are used to seeing don’t exist in this country.  In such a place, you might question how did Eug get a suit and how did I get my wedding gown and makeup?  Especially since you can probably count out all the times I’ve actually worn makeup, which is not much at all.  Thanks to our dear friends, Didi, Susan, and Lorea, everything worked out perfectly.  Eug looked like a rock star (yeahhhhh! That’s my husband!) and I was able to get the most gorgeous wedding dress, ample makeup supplies, and even a curling iron!  They brought everything necessary.  Didi is also an excellent photographer and a professional model himself, so the pictures he took were absolutely amazing.  I really can’t thank them enough.  When we booked our Bhutan trip, we only expected to be in some Bhutanese traditional wear with our jeans and our guide would help to snap a few pictures here and there for us during the ceremony.  Initially, Susan and Lorea were going to join us in India, but they couldn’t make it in November so they decided to join us earlier instead in Bhutan.  And Didi offered to shoot some pictures for us in Bhutan around the same time too.  It all worked out incredibly well somehow.  Thanks for everything guys!

We will have a celebration back at home with everyone next year.  Stay tuned! 🙂