My Big Fat Multicultural Wedding - And Tips For Planning Your Own!

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My father is Middle Eastern, my mother hails from Louisiana's Cajun country, and I'm proud to say that both cultures have at all times been an integral component of who I am. I can make hummus and shrimp gumbo pretty darn properly, and I can swear in Arabic and Cajun French if the have to have arises. We're also Texans, so that means we all can whip up a mean barbecue, too. When I became engaged to Jon, who has Nordic and German roots, we just sprinkled a few a lot more ingredients into our family's melting pot. My relatives happily welcomed him into the fold, and luckily his did the very same to me. I do not think my story is all that particular. As those of us with diverse ethnic backgrounds blend into the American cultural landscape, we nonetheless identify with the heritage that created us who we are. It's only natural that we'd want our customs to be a component of important events in our lives, specifically weddings. One of the terrific things about modern day times is that when it comes to selecting a mate we're significantly less constricted by race, religion or nationality than our parents had been. Which means that much more and alot more, multicultural elements are enriching weddings in intriguing and innovative methods.

Such as those elements, however, can at times be a challenge. Any person who has planned a wedding joining two or more distinct cultures knows that if you aren't careful, additional than the wedding colors might clash. I knew I wanted to incorporate some Arabic traditions, but at the very same time I was concerned about alienating Jon's relatives. To keep away from potential conflict, I decided to maintain the wedding "culture-neutral." It was only after I discussed my plans with my parents that I realized the secure approach wouldn't work: eliminating our family's time-honored customs would not only make the occasion less meaningful for them, but for me as well. I concluded that if Jon and I definitely wanted our families to really feel comfy, we'd have to involve them in the planning. What was most necessary to my father was that we be married in the Antiochian Orthodox Church - a privilege restricted to those who had received a specific type of baptism. To achieve my father's fondest wish, my fiance gamely volunteered to be baptized by Dad's priest (there was no baby pool like in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but yes, my father is now Jon's godfather!). Although the mass didn't stray much from the age-old Orthodox version, we did ask the priest to speak both Arabic and English so that every person could follow along.

As it turned out, Jon's parents had been fine with our adding Arabic touches to the wedding. In reality, they hosted the rehearsal dinner at a steakhouse and capped it off with their own thoughtful cross-cultural contribution: they went out of their way to locate authentic baklava to serve for dessert. And even though they didn't feel strongly about having their Nordic/German background reflected, we made a point of offering Scandinavian-style salmon as one of the entres at the reception. When it was time to party, our DJ played a balanced selection of preferred Middle Eastern music and American dance classics with a little country thrown in-following all, Jon and I did go to college in the heart of Texas. By the finish of the night my new in-laws and college pals had been comparing their belly-dancing moves!

Since I've grow to be Mrs. Edd, I'm a lot extra aware of multicultural details in other weddings I've attended. The events I enjoy most have effortlessly melded traditions from distinctive parts of the world, further underscoring the thought that really like transcends borders. The exact same year my husband and I tied the knot, his brother married a beautiful woman from India (or, as I like to think of her, the most effective thing that ever happened to him). My favorite portion of their wedding was the choice of attire: she wore a crisp white, Western-style wedding dress and he wore a sherwani, a classic Indian jacket. The bridesmaids, sporting brightly colored saris, accompanied groomsmen in formal tuxedos down the aisle. Together it all wordlessly stated, "I take you and your culture." Now that's accurate really like!