INTERRACIAL COUPLES: Multicultural Weddings - a New Kind of Celebration

Enlarge ImagePlanning a wedding is a very personal matter, and a stressful one too. Many interracial couples are encountering even more stresses when attempting to prepare a celebration that combines two cultures. There is little in the way of resources for those planning for a multicultural wedding, and thus, the current and past generations of planners can be considered pioneers of the multicultural wedding evolution. With over 1.6 million multicultural marriages in the United States, it is apparent that multicultural weddings will be the trend of the future. While many couples prefer their weddings to be culturally neutral, others are facing the multiethnic issue face on and are incorporating both cultures in a unique style of their own.

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. These pairings are facing increasing social acceptance and as a result the popularity of having multicultural weddings is on the rise. Multicultural weddings are difficult to organize because a variety of factors, over and above the normal elements of cultural neutral weddings must be considered. Choosing the right mix of religious, ethnic and traditional parts of the ceremony is time consuming and emotional. Even the basics, i.e. location, food, and clothing can be the most strenuous problems to solve. Deeply cultural families and paying families tend to get involved and feel the most offended when portions of their traditions are omitted. Sometimes, the best decision is to compromise and create new traditions that are composed of both cultures.

Interracial couples do not necessarily have to be practicing members of their culture in order to celebrate with traditional customs. To give a wedding character and to celebrate one's family, couples will draw upon their favorite and most appropriate customs to include in the wedding. Multiethnic weddings can contain as much or as little cultural detail, giving the couple more control over the overwhelming interests of both families. Weddings consists of such a vast variety of factors from invitations, flowers and music to dress, food and the ceremony itself, that there are an infinite number of ways of adjusting and tweaking the wedding to suit everyone's desires.

Although there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter multiethnic wedding, there are still many ways of getting help with difficult planning choices. Wedding planners, caterers, friends and family are excellent resources for designing a custom multicultural wedding. Weddings are personal experiences, and the best one's are the most unique. Multicultural Weddings - a New Kind of Celebration
Planning a wedding is a very personal matter, and a stressful one too.
By Frank Duru