There are many cultural groups that are currently practicing multicultural wedding traditions, including Jewish-Korean, Japanese-Protestant, and Hindu-Catholic, just to name a few. Choosing the right mix of religious, ethnic and traditional parts of the ceremony is a big part of planning. In the last fifteen years, the trend for multicultural weddings has expanded because people are much less hesitant about interracial or interfaith marriages. People want to celebrate their different cultures and use their wedding as the first way to officially unite their heritages. When joining two individuals and their families, sometimes the best decision is to take elements from both cultures to create an unforgettably unique event.

Combining Cultures

Wedding planners of multicultural fusion weddings definitely have a large task at hand. Together, Smita Mohindra (owner, lead event architect and planner) and Shawna Yamamoto (event management specialist and lead floral artist) make up the design team for Ethnic Essence, a top multicultural event planning company based in Los Angeles. Mohindra and Yamamoto have created amazing weddings and encountered many circumstances that can get complicated when trying to combine two cultures. A trend that Ethnic Essence has been seeing is the merging of contemporary or Western style weddings and cultural traditions. Many Eastern style weddings not only include cultural traditions, but now also integrate popular Western customs such as bachelor/ette parties and bridal showers. With the emergence of Bollywood in American culture, the popularity of incorporating colorful and enchanting Eastern wedding traditions here in the U.S. is also rapidly increasing. Fusion weddings are being held at unique venues with over-the-top décor and entertainment. Another emerging trend is for bridesmaids to contribute to the entertainment by doing a choreographed Middle-Eastern dance routine at the reception.

Traditional Cuisine

The food seems to be the starting point for most reception planning. The menu for fusion weddings is usually the most difficult part for the bride and groom. Ideally, multicultural couples want to integrate traditional food. If it is not possible to have traditional food at the actual wedding due to catering regulations, pre-parties will be inundated with cultural cuisine. A second option is for dessert to be traditional or theme-oriented since unique desserts are usually allowed at any venue. Although food choice is a very important aspect of a wedding, there are so many more decisions to make in this integration process. The following are some more suggestions of how to creatively fuse two different cultures:

Ease Your Guests In

Try not to overwhelm your guests with too many ethnic traditions that are foreign to them. Focus your energy on incorporating a few of your most important traditions.

Take Turns

There are many different ways that you can fuse two different cultures. One of the easiest ways to handle a multicultural wedding is to focus on one culture during the wedding ceremony and the other culture at the wedding reception.

Hire Musicians

It goes without saying that music from your native country is a must. Consider hiring a band or ensemble that specializes in cultural music to play some of this traditional music during key parts of your reception.

Wear Traditional Clothing

The bride, groom and attendants should all wear culturally traditional attire for the ceremony. The guests will certainly love this, especially those who don’t know much about your culture.

Have Ethnic Décor

Showcase those stunning ethnic decorations with great lighting. Colorful lighting with drapes will accent your décor well.

Speak Your Language

Plan to have a small part of the ceremony done in your native tongue (preferably with a translator for those that don’t speak the language so they don’t miss anything).

Entertain Your Guests

Look to festive cultural entertainment companies when planning this aspect of your wedding reception. You may want to have professional dancers or entertainers to treat your guests to a unique cultural performance.

Hosting and planning a multicultural wedding may not be simple, but in today’s world, families must learn to adjust and embrace other cultures when young people choose partners across traditional boundaries. If you are wanting to add a bit of romance and history to your wedding celebration, look to your background and incorporate some of the ethnic traditions you find into your wedding. A wedding is the fusion of two lives, and by demonstrating that in your ceremony you can create a signature and unparalleled celebration.