My husband and I are planning a trip to Thailand early next year. He is a legal permanent resident of the US with a Nepal passport. I am a native born US citizen. I was looking at the Thai embassy website and note that for Nepali citizens we need to have our flight tickets in hand before applying for the visa - seems very risky since we can only afford discount(nonrefundable) tickets. Is there any chance that my husband will be denied a visa? We are not planning a long trip (under 3 weeks) and he has a job here in the US and can provide a letter from his employer. Also, the instructions ask for a reference in Thailand(in addition to the hotel we will stay at) - how can we provide this when we are tourists and know nobody in Thailand? Any advice would be appreciated!

Reference is not required - I always put "self" to make everyone happy. Ticket may be not required if they know a US Resident or married to you - it is a normal requirement but usually only asked of some foreign nationals. An itinerary will likely be accepted. Call an honorary Consulate if no consulate close and ask them. Not all require the same documentation.