Wedding Traditions: Incorporating More than One
The world is a giant melting pot. People come from all walks of life and upbringings. When two of these people fall in love and decide to get married, it can be a battle of wills deciding on the wedding plans. Why fight? Learn to mesh your cultures into one beautiful event.
Depending on your culture and religious background, wedding traditions can vary as much as wedding favors do. Each family had their own pre-wedding traditions, engagement rituals, wedding ceremony traditions and ways of celebrating afterwards. The two of you are in love but once the families get involved, that love will be tested.
Tip #1 – Before you tell the respective family, discuss your separate traditions.
If it is tradition in your country to have elaborate ceremonies, perhaps it can be scaled down or the bill paid by the parents. Learn about traditions that revolve around asking for a woman’s hand in marriage. Older parents are usually sticklers for this measure. Have a game plan so you can address any questions the family might pose.
Tip #2 – Compromise
Let the wedding ceremony reflect one culture and the reception, another. This way both ways of life are represented. Be sure to explain in the program what is going on and what the guests are required to do in case they don’t know.
Tip #3 – Hold more than one ceremony.
Some traditions can’t be meshed into one ceremony. If one tradition requires the wedding dress to be red and the other purple, you might have a problem. You don’t want your wedding to turn into a multiple dressing change event like the Academy Awards show.
Tip #4 – Have more than one officiating clergyman.
If the traditions are similar except for the wording of the ceremony, have two officiating ministers. They can each perform a part of the ceremony to the satisfaction of both families. It is also an educational experience for your guests.
Have you ever wondered about the traditions of other cultures? Here are some tidbits about traditions around the world that you might not have known.
In African-American tradition, it is tradition to “jump the broom” after the wedding ceremony. This signifies crossing the threshold into life as one.
In Scottish ceremonies, you won’t have to worry about singers or recorded music. The sound of bagpipes fills the air for the bride and groom.
Give your marriage a boost of luck as in the English tradition. The bride places a sixpence in one shoe for the walk down the aisle.
In German culture, men get to sport an engagement ring as well. Theirs is a gold band but everyone will know they are betrothed as well.
Traditions in life connect us to our past. Incorporate the traditions of both the bride and groom into your wedding for a unique and compromising ceremony everyone will love. Choosing unique wedding favors ups the atmosphere. After all, compromise is a huge part of every successful marriage.
