HMOOB WEDDINGS

"She prepared the matching couple outfit along with the HMoob txaij coined vest, xauv, and HMoob txaij hate making sure everything was matching and coherent"

Paj Nag Muas

2020

Wedding Clothes

One of many items that came in the suitcase from my mother was my spouse and I's first outfit that would typically be worn during the wedding. My mom prepared Hmoob Txaij (Hmoob stripe) outfits, which pertain to the specific style and region of my father and his family she married into, for my siblings as I. As my older siblings started to marry off, she continued to prepare couple outfits for the next potential child to get married. My spouse and I opted not to have a traditional Hmoob wedding, but honored my mother's preparation by using the outfit in our engagement photos. It worked out well that my husband also identifies as Hmoob Txaij. She prepared the matching couple outfit along with the Hmoob txaij coined vest, xauv and Hmoob txaij hat making sure everything was matching and coherent. Traditionally, this would have symbolized the outfit she would dress me in for the Hmoob wedding and the beginning of a life with my spouse.

Photo captured by Mai Ka Photography.

HMoob Interracial Wedding

“As a HMoob woman, part of her joy is giving you all of her stuff...all types of clothes that HMoob mothers give us. I didn't go through that until much later...I haven't thought about it until recently. I have two daughters and they are biracial...As a mother, is this a tradition I would like to pass on? Of course, I'm up here and there's no where to get HMoob clothes.” - Kay

HMoob and Americanized Weddings

“My mom did not want me to wear a white wedding dress on the aisle. She wanted me to wear, so this is all my mom’s idea, this is not my idea. I just showed up. Um, so she wanted my husband and I to wear Moob clothes to walk down the aisle cause she’s like, “yus yog Moob lawm, yuav tsum hnav Moob khaub dlaug Moob”

- Manee Yang

Hnubhli's Wedding

Photographed by May See Yang

“This was a wedding that I photographed. The bride is Hnubhli Yang with her mother dressing her up in HMoob clothes for the final time before leaving her home. A bedroom is a special place and in this case, is a moment shared between the bride, her mother, bridesmaid/green lady and women relatives. This was a sacred space for them as all the ladies were laughing and sharing memories. You could just feel all the love around the bride.”

- May See Yang