The Photo taking you speak of Bingley sound very similar to "the Photo taking cerimony" at my sister's ½ Japanese wedding--
First Photos of B&G with His family, then B&G with Her family, then B&G with both sides of the family, then B&G with all his male relatives, then B&G with all her male relatives, then each with female relatives, then male friends, then female friends, then a group shot of every one at the wedding, then all the males at the wedding, then all the females-- but i might have gotten the order wrong...
The batiks and clothing sound wonderful-- My family is pretty unconventional when it comes to wedding clothing. The wedding are almost like the kind in movies -- but just missing one or two things-- or have something extra, like pipers-- we often have pipers at weddings. or things like -- my daughter in law - she desided to wear white-- but she found a beautiful pair of chinese red embroidered wedding slippers-- so she wore red shoes with her white dress.. a cousin, who is also a runner got married in a new pair of Nike's-- she couldn't quite afford everything-- and she had a long white dress, she figured nobody would much see her shoes anyway--and she needed a new pair of nike's for an upcoming race...
I think what i like best is the merging of cultures as well as families.. all cultures have ceremonies for the bride and groom-- and even they are totally new-- they are all fun and enjoyable.. Some of the ceremonal bits you described sound very similar to many western wedding -- "recieving lines" (with family lined up so you can meet and greet) and while we don't have thrones-- The "brides table" is often on a raised platform.. (and the smashed egg sound better than the new custom of smashing wedding cake into each other faces!) There are so many games..
I am very lucky-- one sister married to japanese, a close cousin married to a jamacian, a daughter in law who is half filipino, half aussie--many friends of other cultural backgrounds Often think i am most boring person in my 'set'-- mono lingual, never having lived anywhere but NYC, and having only had small opportunities to travel.. but my friends are all so kind-- and i get to have this rich wonderful life-- because they include me! I haven't traveled around the world-- but i have been to hindu weddings, budist weddings, chinese wedding, the crazy wedding that are all to common in my own family (family trate-- bride never get a dress until last month--"earlyist" date in family is 27 days before wedding..Theory is you'll find something-- never yet had a wedding with the bride walking down the aisle naked!-- but who know-- maybe well have a wedding one of these days at a nudist park!) I made my wedding dress-- and finished sewing the buttons on it 2 hours before the wedding-- while my hair was drying...
