If you and your partner come from different cultural backgrounds, your wedding is the perfect opportunity to celebrate them.
Blending traditions and cultures together can create a beautiful and utterly unique wedding for the two of you and your families. However, wedding planning can be complex with just one set of ideas, so how can you blend two cultures in a way that works for everyone? Here are some ideas to help you out and achieve the best wedding for both of you.
The Ceremony
The ceremony is the big one and the place where you might receive the most stress from family. A wedding ceremony is the part of the wedding with the most tradition and social rules surrounding it – not to mention the various religious factors that might come into play. If you and your partner’s cultures have very different wedding ceremonies, examine each one together and see which parts you like and which you don’t. Is it possible to merge them? If one of you feels more strongly than the other, perhaps the ceremony could follow one culture but with aspects of the other incorporated, such as particular blessings, scents, or music. Parents or other family members could perhaps be appeased with specific roles in the wedding. Just be sure to ask what is allowed by the registrar if you are having a civil ceremony, as some are stricter than others over religious symbols.
Attire
If specific colours, jewellery, or clothing styles are traditionally used in your culture, why not include both in the ceremony? Even if the ceremony is being held in the religious centre of one partner, there’s usually no reason both partners can’t wear the religious clothing from the other culture. You can mix and match within one outfit, too. A bride may want the stand-out, stunning white dress but happily wear a headdress and makeup from the partner’s culture.
Music
Music gives a perfect opportunity to blend both of your backgrounds. There are many musicians who are able to blend music together, such as this Bollywood harpist in London, so that you can bring in the range and variety of music shared by both of you, but still in the tone that you want for your wedding.
During the reception is also the perfect time to pull out old favourites, childhood classics, and everything that the pair of you might have shared together in your lives. Try to work with a DJ or band who can pull together the variety of music you want.
Food
You might choose to go with traditional wedding foods of both cultures, or you might want to try a fusion menu – if you trust your caterer! Most people prefer to have something suited to most of their guests, with the occasional traditional food included. That way, it provides more of a talking point and encourages happy memories among the families.
Décor
Patterns, colours, symbols, and flowers all have different meanings and importance in cultures around the world. It should be incredibly easy to bring aspects of both cultures through the wedding decoration. You can even make the inclusion as subtle as you like, such as using a type of flower but in your wedding colour. The only concern here is to research the symbolism of what you are doing carefully. For instance, in England, a white rose and a white lily do not have the same meaning. You need to be careful not to offend anyone accidentally.
Images courtesy of unsplash.com and pexels.com
