Wedding Traditions Customs From Different Cultures

Photo by K-Rol Omar

There is an intense pressure to have a “traditional” wedding ceremony.  Let’s face it: it’s a big part of dealing with trying to make everyone happy…especially when it comes to parents.

My grandmother was devoutly Catholic, and while she did her best to be supportive, in her eyes those of her children who weren’t married in the Catholic church weren’t really married.

According to the director of the Association for Wedding Professionals International, there is a new trend toward weddings incorporating traditional, ethnic marriage traditions into ceremonies.

The recent New York Times article “Different Rules For Different Cultures: Be Prepared” describes some humorous and embarrassing moments for guests attending a wedding that included traditional, ethnic marriage traditions that were unfamiliar to them.  One guest dressed too formally for a Hindu wedding ceremony, then dressed too casually for the reception the next day.  Another horrified her date by trying to imitate the gyrating dance moves of the women at a Pakistani wedding.

If you plan to incorporate wedding traditions and customs from other cultures, it’s best to give your guests the head’s up…unless you enjoy watching your guests suffer embarrassing moments.  A few ways to clue them in:

The Invitations - If you’re wedding or reception requires non traditional wedding attire, inform your guests on the invitation.  For example, “Modest attire requested.”

Explain the Ritual - To include your guests and help them appreciate the significance of unfamiliar wedding traditions, have your officiant explain the meaning behind the rituals.  For instance, it’s a tradition at some Indian weddings to steal the groom’s shoes at the ceremony.  If you don’t explain what’s going on, your guests are likely to feel left out…and think you’ve got a family full of kleptomaniacs.

Draw Them a Map - If the cultural traditions you’ve chosen for your wedding ceremony are extremely elaborate and involved, type up an explanation in a program or send a flow chart of events to your guests beforehand.  Though they may look like a bunch of tourists reading their notes in church, they’ll thank you for it.

What traditions are you including for your wedding ceremony?  Leave me a comment.