How to Survive a Wedding on your Street

We're getting married in the morning!
Deal with it.

Once upon a time, scarcely a month ago in fact, a wedding occurred on my street.

My sentiments regarding Khmer weddings has already been documented; Illogical public displays of nonexistent wealth in an effort to impress one's neighbors and community members. (Yes, I struggle with gross displays of nonexistent and legitimate wealth.) While I realize the average amount an American lays out for a wedding has recently peeked $27K (they are not immune to my immense judgement either), there are two things American weddings don't feature:

1. Street blocking.
2. Noise.

Street Blocking: I live on a narrow street [see above]. My street normally has cars parked on both sides and when this happens, it's a single lane road. It's very much a side street in a residential neighborhood and my neighbors are lovely and quiet.

However, for a wedding, you are allowed to pitch a tent that blocks the entire width of the road. If it's directly in front of someone's house..."Well that suck folks! Sorry! Guess you're not getting your car or your motobike out of your house! You can do the same to us when it's your turn but for now...sorry [not]." I become most frustrated with street blocking. While this wedding did not block my street, it did require me to zig-zag across my neighborhood to enter my street from the side that wasn't blocked. Not only is street blocking a complete and utter safety hazard, I find it stunningly rude from my cultural perspective but oddly it's not so here.

Noise: A sound system blasting at 5am when your wedding starts and finishing at 11pm when your wedding ends during which your entire building vibrates from the noise? Sorry, but I can't really even begin to make that sounds positive. The good news is that if you have friends, you can spend the night with them which is what I did and for this I'm very thankful. Again, how is this not considered rude? I will never understand.

For all of weddings loathsomeness, I will say this: the tent is down and the rubbish is cleared that very night. On this point, we can agree from a Cambodian and American perspective that this is only common courtesy.