Skip to content

Top Navigation

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAYS
  • ENTERTAINING
  • HOME
  • GARDENING
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING
  • WEDDINGS
  • SHOP
  • DIY
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS
  • LIFE
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Pin FB

Explore Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Tips on Organizing Your Home

      Tips on Organizing Your Home

      From the kitchen and bathroom to the bedroom and laundry room, here are 40 ways to simplify, streamline, and banish clutter throughout the house. Read More
    • These Are the Paint Colors You'll See Everywhere in 2022

      These Are the Paint Colors You'll See Everywhere in 2022

      Upgrade your spaces with new—and old—classics. Read More
    • 39 Make-Ahead Holiday Dishes That Are Perfect for Festive Family Gatherings

      39 Make-Ahead Holiday Dishes That Are Perfect for Festive Family Gatherings

      These classic recipes will help you get a head start on the festivities. Read More
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cooking How-Tos
    • Baking
    • Menu Planning
    • Food News & Trends
    • Wine
    • Mastering the Holiday Meal
    • What's for Dinner
    • All Recipes
  • HOLIDAYS

    HOLIDAYS

    See All HOLIDAYS
    All of Our Best Valentine's Day Crafts to Make from the Heart

    All of Our Best Valentine's Day Crafts to Make from the Heart

    Express your love with handmade Valentine's crafts like paper cards, gift ideas, and decorations.
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patricks Day
    • Passover
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
  • ENTERTAINING

    ENTERTAINING

    See All ENTERTAINING
    Will We Entertain Differently in 2022? These Are the New Trends Hostesses Should Bookmark

    Will We Entertain Differently in 2022? These Are the New Trends Hostesses Should Bookmark

    Secure your role as the host with the absolute most.
    • Seasonal Entertaining & Decorating
    • Baby Shower Ideas
    • Dinner Party Ideas
    • You're Invited
  • HOME

    HOME

    See All HOME
    How to Hang and Arrange Pictures

    How to Hang and Arrange Pictures

    Amp up your home décor with perfectly placed frames.
    • Home Design & Decor
    • Paint Colors & Palettes
    • DIY Home Projects
    • The Well-Kept Home
  • GARDENING

    GARDENING

    See All GARDENING
    Six Houseplant Mistakes to Avoid This Winter

    Six Houseplant Mistakes to Avoid This Winter

    Don't let your varieties fall victim to the perils of poor cold-weather maintenance.
    • Container Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Houseplants
    • Landscaping
    • Vegetable Gardens
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    How to Deep Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda

    How to Deep Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda

    Our easy tips will make this cleaning task a lot less daunting.
    • Cleaning
    • Storage & Organization
    • Laundry & Linens
  • WEDDINGS

    WEDDINGS

    See All WEDDINGS
    Your Ultimate Wedding-Planning Timeline

    Your Ultimate Wedding-Planning Timeline

    Ready, set, go! Our no-nonsense guide will help you learn how to plan your wedding like a pro.
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Party
    • Wedding Planning & Advice
    • Wedding Ceremony & Reception
    • Wedding Jewelry
    • Dresses & Style
    • Wedding Beauty & Wellness
    • Wedding Registry
    • Wedding Showers & Parties
    • Love & Marriage
    • Wedding Travel
  • SHOP
  • DIY

    DIY

    See All DIY
    How to Knit: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

    How to Knit: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

    Learn how to knit your own mittens, hats, scarves, and more. We'll take you through the step-by-step instructions and teach you how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off.
    • Dyeing
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Kids' Crafts
    • Knitting
    • Paper Crafts
    • Sewing
    • Rescue & Revamp
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    Your Complete Guide to Restoring Moisture Back Into Your Skin

    Your Complete Guide to Restoring Moisture Back Into Your Skin

    Take a multi-pronged approach if you're experiencing excess dryness.
    • Beauty
    • Health & Wellness
    • Live Well
  • LIFE

    LIFE

    See All LIFE
    • Family
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Net Worth
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. marthastewart.com
  2. Weddings
  3. Real Weddings
  4. Wedding Styles
  5. Seasonal Weddings
  6. Summer Weddings
  7. A Colorful, Traditional Cambodian and Chinese Wedding in Oregon
Martha Stewart Weddings

A Colorful, Traditional Cambodian and Chinese Wedding in Oregon

By Kathryn O'Shea-Evans
Skip gallery slides
Pin
bride groom portrait
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

Seven outfits, seven ceremonies, and lots of love.

Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Linna and Joe

bride groom portrait
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography
Learn About More Wedding Traditions & Rituals

When Linna So met Joe Armstrong at a Portland, Oregon, restaurant in August 2009, her first impression was that he was absolutely perfect—for her friend. "I tried to hook them up, but thankfully, that didn't work out!" she says, laughing. The duo began hitting the town with mutual pals, and soon romance blossomed. "It's a cliché, but I just knew," says Linna, an academic and clinic support coordinator at Pacific University. "Our personalities fit so well together." Joe, a software engineer at Nike, felt the same, and four years into their courtship, he had an epiphany: Life was so good, he couldn't live without Linna. "That very same day, I went and bought a ring," he says. He left the ring box in a chest of drawers at their home with a note for her to find ("Marry me, Cookie?") before he got down on one knee.

Linna knew that she wanted a traditional Chinese- and Cambodian-style celebration to reflect her ancestry, and that she had plenty of time to plan: Her brother had gotten engaged several months prior. "In Chinese culture, siblings can't get married within a year of each other—it's bad luck," she says. So they waited two years for their nuptials, which took place on July 3, 2015, and featured seven ceremonies, including a blessing by Buddhist monks, as well as a passing of blessings at their home in Hillsboro, Oregon, in which married couples surround the bride and groom and pass a candle around them seven times, using their hands to wave its smoke over the newlyweds. "The smoke is supposed to be sacred and protect the couple from evil," says Linna. Per tradition, Linna and Joe changed outfits between events, and guests feasted on congee, sweet rice with banana rolls, and roasted pig.

"The most memorable moment was the final stage of the wedding, when our happily married parents and elders tied red rings around our wrists with wishes for health, success, and long-lasting love," Linna says. "Everyone said, 'Have lots of children!'" Proof positive that those blessings worked: Their son was born just nine months later.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The Invitation

Linna Joe Cambodian wedding stationery
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography
Get Our Best Invitation Inspo

The wedding invitations with printed by Vistaprint.

2 of 12

3 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Customary Jewelry

bridal jewelry
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

The bride rented traditional Cambodian jewelry and combined it with pieces that were passed down from her grandmother.

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Traditional Items

betel leaves tradition
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

A guest from California brought fresh betel leaves, which are chewed by both families to seal their agreement with the marriage.

4 of 12

5 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Part of the Festivities

Linna Joe Cambodian wedding fruit
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

Instead of a walk down the aisle, many Cambodian weddings have a hai goan gomloh, a groom's processional, in which he and his friends and family carry offerings of fruits and sweets to the bride's home to announce his intentions to marry her. During this ceremony, there were "100 people, some in Cambodian outfits, parading down the street with offerings at nine o'clock in the morning—quite the sight for my neighbors," Linna says. Here, Linna's cousin and aunt hold fruit offerings during the groom's parade.

5 of 12

6 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Showered with Love

couple seeds
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography
Creative Wedding Exit Toss Ideas

Seeds from a palm-tree pod, which the groom carried in a parade to the bride's home, were showered on the couple.

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

The Sounds of Celebrating

wedding gongs
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

Gongs were struck to mark the beginning of each ceremony.

7 of 12

8 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

A Special Cut

Linna Joe Cambodian wedding
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

In gaat sah, the hair-cutting ceremony, family members cut the couple's hair to symbolize a fresh start.

8 of 12

9 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Significant Strings

Linna Joe Cambodian wedding
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography
Read About Common Wedding Traditions and Superstitions

Postwedding, the couple wore traditional Cambodian dress—one of seven outfits they showcased. Strings on the couples' left wrists symbolized remembrance of their parents, while strings on the couple's right wrists symbolized their commitment to family traditions.

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

A Colorful Crew

Wedding bridal party
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

The wedding party stopped for a portrait at Meriwether National Golf Club, where the reception was held.

10 of 12

11 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

A Sweet Moment

bride groom kiss
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

"It's been seven years [since we met], and we never tire of each other," says Linna. "I married my best friend."

11 of 12

12 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Sources

Linna Joe Cambodian wedding
Credit: Lexia Frank Photography

Photography, Lexia Frank Photography 

Reception location and catering, Meriwether National Golf Club 

Flowers, Alisa Vlad; Costco Wholesale; The Hawaiian Lei Company 

Stationery, Vistaprint 

Cake, Decadent Creations Bakery 

Reception music, Chris Mai 

Bride's, groom's, and wedding party's attire and jewelry, Fina Salon Boutique

Hair and makeup, Lindsay Garger of Powder Inc.

Chair covers, Elegant Wedding Chair Covers 

Master of ceremonies, Sokharo Choy of the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Oregon 

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Kathryn O'Shea-Evans

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    `
    Martha Stewart Weddings
    View All
    • How to Ensure Guests Attend Your Post-Wedding Brunch
    • A Colorful Fall Wedding in Aspen, Colorado
    • What Should You Wear to a Low-Key Bridal Shower?
    • Brooklyn Beckham Just Revealed How He Felt the Moment He Saw Nicola Peltz in Her Wedding Dress
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 12 Linna and Joe
    2 of 12 The Invitation
    3 of 12 Customary Jewelry
    4 of 12 Traditional Items
    5 of 12 Part of the Festivities
    6 of 12 Showered with Love
    7 of 12 The Sounds of Celebrating
    8 of 12 A Special Cut
    9 of 12 Significant Strings
    10 of 12 A Colorful Crew
    11 of 12 A Sweet Moment
    12 of 12 Sources

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Martha Stewart

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Customer Service
    • Media Kit
    • Martha's Blog
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • FAQ
    • Corporate
    • International
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMartha Stewart is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Martha Stewart. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.marthastewart.com

    Sign in

    View image

    A Colorful, Traditional Cambodian and Chinese Wedding in Oregon
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.