The heart can most definitely strike chords with anyone from any walk of life at any time. Love generally strikes when and where you least expect it. It often happens that two soul mates from different cultures meet - and it’s love that binds them! For their union, the two lovers must come to terms with their beliefs and / or their different origins, with their own ways and customs of marriage. So how can you undertake a task for organising a mixed wedding where cultures spectacularly collide?
A multicultural marriage representative of the couple
It is the union of two beings who love each other that is celebrated by mixed marriage. These two individuals may want their traditions and cultures to overlap, and thankfully that is possible. It is through this that this diversity is expressed during their ceremony and their wedding reception. A huge choice of wedding themes are highlighted with the promise of a magical and memorable day.
Affirm the identity of your mixed couple.
The two partners must agree on the traditions that they want to meet and what feels right to them. What parts of the religion do they want to keep? What customs and traditions do they each wish to respect? Making lists of these is essential for organising a multicultural marriage.
Concessions may be necessary, but for both partners, it is a question of finding the delicate balance. From planning vows, to specific wedding traditions, pulling on each of the things you like can be the best of both worlds.
Containing outside influences.
Consciously or not, often without thinking badly, relatives can exert some form of pressure. But ultimately it’s your decision, so staying true to what you want is best.
From food catering, which may be specific to one certain religion and another may be important. You may want to keep a traditional layered wedding cake or perhaps look at a Greek Orthodox wedding. Or perhaps the dress sense. In many eastern religions, long gowns are preferred, such as within Islam. For western cultures, you may feel the pull towards a traditional wedding dress with a lace veil.
Where to organise a mixed wedding?
The geographic location of marriage is not easy when families are geographically distant from each other, or even from the bride and groom. The place where to celebrate your wedding is therefore very important. Travel costs for guests, accommodation options, travel conditions, etc. must be taken into account. To budget effectively, lists and calculators can provide particularly helpful information.
A dinner with flavours from around the world
Each region of the world has its culinary specialties. However, the wedding meal is often very generous. Whether it's a buffet or a plate service, flagship dishes from both cultures have their place here.
To satisfy the guests and that everyone can do according to their convictions, the tasting must be designed in such a way as to respect the traditions and habits of each other. The ideal is to provide several starters, main courses and desserts to choose from. With a proposal of sweet cuisine for a Jewish wedding, the sweet delicacies are a must. Not to mention the array of drinks that you may want to offer.
Binational couples: a multilingual marriage
Guests of mixed couples may encounter a language barrier. In order for everyone to get the most out of the festivities, careful consideration is to think about multilingual marriage.
It is a question of translating whenever necessary, so that everyone can understand. This includes menu, panels and posters, but also speeches, wishes, consent.
The different cultures are the richness of our world. And when they meet and unite through two beings who love each other to the point of wanting to say yes to each other for life, there is nothing more beautiful. The mixed marriage which celebrates this love is proof of this. While it requires a good amount of organisation, listening and often compromise, the result is faithful to each couple: unique and inspiring.
In summary
Your wedding should match your image. If your cultures will inevitably intervene in the organisation of the marriage, they must however not be a problem. A collaboration between cultures and countries often unites more than could ever be imagined.
Having an Autumn Wedding? Read our Autumn Wedding Blog
Comments