Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Tongan wedding Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Tonga
pompom 00:51 UTC 04 Sep 2010 | We have been invited to a Tongan wedding. Tomorrow. We were invited yesterday. We're in a small country town in Australia and I've got buckley's chance of getting to a shop (a decent one) to buy a gift. Is it appropriate to give money? The couple has apparently "eloped", although I'm not sure what this means in Tongan culture as both sets of parents will be there, as well as most of the Tongans in town, which amount to a few hundred.. My husband thinks it might refer to the fact they have lived together before marriage so presumably they already have a number of household items. |
harry_mudd 05:57 UTC 11 Sep 2010 | They will be grateful for your company, and just give them cash or something that speaks "you". Mind you, if it ain't on the boat, it ain't in Tonga, so maybe some fancy perfumes for the little lady, and some grog for the bloke? Where abouts in Tonga are they? | 1
pompom 09:32 UTC 11 Sep 2010 | They are not in Tonga, they live in Victoria, same as us. We didn't end up going because it was too short notice. Had we gone, it would have been cash. I'm sure they wouldn't have minded, to be honest. | 2
raki_man 09:52 UTC 11 Sep 2010 | A lot of Tongans are good Methodists, and not too keen on the demon drink! | 3
harry_mudd 11:36 UTC 11 Sep 2010 | Really. They managed to put a bit away at the Royal Nuku'alofa Club. And at the Golf course. ;-) I thought that they were free Wesleyans anyway. ???? | 4
harry_mudd 11:38 UTC 11 Sep 2010 | #2, you could have made that a bit more clearer in your OP. You are posting on the Tonga thread, afterall. | 5
pompom 04:47 UTC 12 Sep 2010 | Well, Harry, I didn't think there would be many Tongans on the ANZ branch. :-) Sorry, I though it was clear we were all in Aus. Our town has seven Tongan churches/church groups and more Pastors than you can imagine. Not bad in a population of under 4000. The biggest is the Wesleyan Methodist. | 6
harry_mudd 05:25 UTC 12 Sep 2010 | You are not on the ANZ branch: * Thorn Tree travel forum ⁄ * Departure Lounge ⁄ * Australasia & Pacific - Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea hence my impression that the wedidng was in Tonga. I played Golf in Tonga and always had a preacher or two as partners. You can't really express yourself properly with a man of the cloth playing with you. | 7