Blessed in Bhutan: A Traditional Wedding Ceremony

Blessed in Bhutan: A Traditional Wedding Ceremony

Exchange vows in a traditional Buddhist blessing ceremony led by a lama, dressed in gho and kira, surrounded by butter lamps and prayer flags.

Duration
7 days · 6 nights
Route
Paro · Punakha
Best season
Year-round · best Mar–May & Sep–Nov
Level
Easy
Sample itinerary — draft for review

A Buddhist astrologer chooses your most auspicious day and hour. A lama leads the ceremony in a temple in the Punakha valley, where you offer white scarves, receive blessings and light butter lamps together, before a celebration dinner with music.

Please note: the ceremony is a symbolic Buddhist blessing, not a legally registered marriage in Bhutan. Many couples marry at home and come to Bhutan for the blessing, or to renew their vows.

Highlights

  • An astrologer chooses your auspicious date
  • Dressing in gho and kira
  • Hanging prayer flags together at Dochula
  • A lama-led blessing ceremony
  • A riverside picnic for two

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Arrive in Paro

    A private transfer to your lodge and a quiet evening.

    Paro valley
    Paro valley · Photo: Doctor 17, CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Day 2

    Astrologer & fittings

    Meet a Buddhist astrologer to choose your auspicious date and time, then be fitted for your gho and kira.

    Rinpung Dzong
    Rinpung Dzong · Photo: Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY 2.0
  3. Day 3

    Paro to Punakha

    Hang prayer flags together at Dochula on the way to the Punakha valley.

    Dochula
    Dochula · Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0
  4. Day 4

    Your ceremony

    A lama leads the blessing in a valley temple: prayers, the offering of white scarves, blessings and butter lamps, followed by a celebration dinner.

    Chimi Lhakhang
    Chimi Lhakhang · Photo: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. Day 5

    Punakha

    A slow day with a riverside picnic for two.

    Punakha valley
    Punakha valley · Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0
  6. Day 6

    Punakha to Paro

    Return to Paro for a hot stone bath.

    Punakha valley
    Punakha valley · Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0
  7. Day 7

    Depart

    A private transfer to Paro airport.

    Paro International Airport
    Paro International Airport · Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0
The 108 chortens of Dochula pass, with the Himalaya beyond
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