While it may seem obvious to some, a number of people might be asking themselves “what is a multicultural wedding?” In short, a multicultural wedding is the union of two people from different races, tribes or ethnicities.
The concept of love and marriage are essential in the lives of many people across the globe. Unsurprisingly, every culture and faith have their own way of celebrating the joining of two lives in marriage.
Irrespective of lingering prejudice and discrimination in the world, couples are crossing cultural, tribal and religious divides, which has led to an increase in multicultural and interfaith weddings. As a result, matrimonial traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation are experiencing a beautiful metamorphosis.
Fusion weddings make room for fresh and unique expressions of culture, identity and faith plus they enable couples and their families to create new traditions of their own. A multicultural wedding also opens up all in attendance, who may be unfamiliar with both or either heritage / customs, to new perspectives.
Love truly has no borders. An advantage of the growing number of multicultural weddings is the unique celebrations that come about as a result of giving guests a taste of everything. The bride and groom to be can infuse as much or as little of their heritage into their wedding as they see fit.
The benefit of hiring a multicultural wedding planner is that you have an experienced professional to navigate these unchartered waters with you and also to bounce ideas off. I remember what it was like when I was planning my own fusion wedding (I am British-Nigerian and my husband is Romanian).
I enjoyed thinking up ideas of how to seamlessly weave both of our traditions into our special days (as we had two separate weddings) while making it very “us”. I got really excited about the prospect of sharing my culture with my in-laws and friends using the clothes we were wearing, food we served and music that was played – even the entertainment had cultural nods.
Love truly has no borders. A wonderful thing about the growing number of multicultural weddings is the unique celebrations that come about as a result of giving guests a taste of everything. The bride and groom to be can infuse as much or as little of their heritage into their wedding as they see fit.
A number of my friends who are also Nigerian but from a different tribe to mine were going to be experiencing something new at our wedding because Nigerian traditions are so nuanced and varied, even within the same country.
My personal experience is why I am so passionate about multicultural wedding planning – I have lived and breathed it and understand the process. Whether you and your partner hail from different tribes from the same country, different ethnicities or races, I know how important familial input can be to the planning process, in addition to the significance of being seen in all of your multifaceted glory.
There are many colours of matrimony and several ways to integrate your heritage using fashion, food, music, or the ceremony itself to name a few. Whether you choose to incorporate your cultures into your day, a little bit or a lot, remember to communicate openly and respectfully.
It is your wedding day (or days) and I want you to look back on it (or them) fondly. If you need any assistance in planning your dream multicultural celebration, get in touch as I would love to help to turn your dreams a reality.