If you went to Wonderfruit in December, it’s likely that you heard talk of a wedding taking place at the festival. Was it real? A hoax? A performance art piece?
While there were a few people performing faux marriages in a tent called “The Church of Dudeism,” there was indeed a real wedding at the festival as well.
Allison Bartolozzi and Omar Khan, who live in Bangkok’s Ekkamai, said their vows on the Saturday of the festival weekend as the sun set behind the the Sharing Neighborhood Pavilion.
They were surrounded by 50 of their closest friends — and a bunch of strangers who stopped by to join in the revelry.
Photo: Wonderfruit
The couple’s story is a magical one. The reason they chose to wed at Wonderfruit was because they met at the festival the year before.
They got engaged just two weeks before the second installment of the weekend-long event, leaving them just days to plan a wedding that was, in a word, perfect.
Allison and Omar’s story started at the first Wonderfruit. Omar, a 29-year-old software engineer from London, was joining a friend he knew from his rock climbing gym and her friends at the lifestyle festival, none of whom he had met before.
Photo: Anthony Cheung
Allison, a 30-year-old teacher from the States, was in that group. By the time she showed up to pitch her tent in the field, Omar was already several shots into a bottle of rum, covered in glitter, and wearing a feather boa. Her first thought? “I’m gonna make out with him tonight.”
Five hours later, that’s exactly what happened. And the setting couldn’t have been more romantic.
Photo: Wonderfruit
The two separated from the group shortly after meeting, setting off in search of vegetarian food for Allison. Omar tirelessly circled the festival grounds five times looking for a meatless food stand he’d seen earlier. By the time they found it, the stand was closed but the couple were already forming a bond.
Several drinks later, they wandered down to “the Quarry,” the festival’s late night party site. The area was shielded by a large bamboo scaffolding built along one side that gently sloped over the dance floor. Omar, an avid rock climber, immediately said: “I want to climb that.”
Allison thought: “I’m not sure but he’s so cute. I’ll try to climb it too.” They made it to the top.
Photo: Wonderfruit
“Omar was ahead of me,” she recalled. “We were suspended over the middle of the dance floor when he turned around, took my face in his hands and kissed me. He was backed by all this yellow light from the dance floor. It was magical.”
A few weeks later, back in Bangkok, they had their first official date, a sushi dinner in Thong Lor.
“For the first actual date, I was pretty nervous,” admitted Omar. “‘Cause we had never been alone together and sober. I was terrified that we’d have nothing to say to each other, but we had a great time.”
From then on, the couple became inseparable. They said there was a moment a few months later, when they were lying together in a hammock near Khao Yai, looking up at the stars, and suddenly got the feeling that this might be the real thing.
Over the course of the year, Omar took up swing dancing (Allison’s favorite hobby) and she took up rock climbing. They traveled to the States, to Allison’s two hometowns of Chicago and Cleveland, and later to Rome and London, where Omar has family. “We basically showed each other off to our friends and family,” said Allison.
Photo: Wonderfruit
With everyone’s approval firmly in place, the proposal took place just two weeks before Wonderfruit on Koh Samet over a late-night bottle of Leo. Omar asked Allison, who said yes and immediately asked Omar, “Will you marry me back?” He agreed.
They loved the idea of marrying at Wonderfruit, where their story had begun. “All of our friends were going to be there anyway, the entertainment was taken care of, the setting is amazing, it’s where we met — what’s not to like?” asked Omar.
They secured a space at the festival and ordered a bouquet and boutonniere made up of lavender and purple wildflowers. Their friends pitched in to help, with their mutual friend Hong Le flying in from Vietnam to act as officiant.
Photo: Wonderfruit
When they asked Le to marry them, her response was: “Ah, ok, what?! Are you pregnant?”
After learning that they weren’t expecting anything but a party, she “was so happy and excited for them,” the couple said.
Le spent the week leading up to the event collecting verses of poetry from the couple’s friends and family that were read during the vows. Some verses were funny, some sweet and some about private jokes that made the couple burst out in laughter.
Allison and her best friend and maid of honor, Jessica Deats, went to CentralWorld to find the perfect dress. She ended up picking out a simple white eyelet lace sundress with a cutout back. The groom was barefoot “because I only had a gross pair of flip flops with me and I didn’t want to get married in them,” Omar said. He was graced with a feather boa, just like on the night they met. The bride’s family watched the ceremony via Skype.
Photo: Wonderfruit
Jessica said: “Their wedding was one of the most magical, beautiful, yet simple ceremonies I have ever seen. It was so special seeing my best friend, Allison, marry her love, Omar. I pretty much cried the entire time.”
After the ceremony, a first dance was had as Allison kicked off her sandals and friends played classic swing dance tunes through an iPod. Jessica handed out sparklers to all the wedding-goers and they formed two lines of glittering sparks for the couple to run underneath before hopping into a golf cart covered in paper flowers and a “Just Married” sign.
Photo: Anthony Cheung
The groom drove the golf cart in a loop around the festival grounds while his new wife hung out of the cart’s side yelling “We just got married!” to stunned onlookers who yelled back things like “Really?” and “Are you serious?”
When they returned to their friends, photos were snapped, a bottle of champagne popped and consumed before everyone went off to dance the night away.
Photo: Anthony Cheung
The Wonderfruit organizers were thrilled for the happy couple.
“We feel very grateful that the couple choose to have Wonderfruit play a role in their special day,” said Wonderfruit founder Pranitan ‘Pete’ Phornprapha.
“May their lives together be full of love and wonder.”
Photo: Wonderfruit
And while the couple’s friends were happy for them too, it seemed their union had touched many people, including strangers.
The day after their wedding, a girl approached Allison and told her: “Your wedding was so beautiful. It made me cry and I don’t even know you.”
Photo: Anthony Cheung
So far, the couple say married life doesn’t feel much different — but Wonderfruit festival-goers haven’t forgotten the magic of the moment.
Just recently, in Bangkok, they ran into a couple that introduced themselves by saying, “Hi! We were at your wedding!”
Photo: Anthony Cheung
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