Most of us are familiar with Western wedding traditions, such as exchanging rings, saying “I do,” the garter toss, and the bride wearing a white gown. But if you want to celebrate your own heritage and traditions, consider incorporating your culture into your big day. Including cultural traditions in your wedding isn’t just about the aesthetics, but it’s about creating a memorable, unique, and inclusive experience for everyone. It’s also an excellent way to reflect the bride and groom’s identity as 8 out of 10 couples said that it’s extremely important that their own wedding feels personal to their partnership.
Traditions can solidify a couple’s bond through symbolic acts and practices which provide a sense of depth and meaning to make the day feel sacred and special. However, cultural traditions can also add positive energy to the atmosphere, which can make your day feel lively and exciting. To create lasting memories, here are some fun ways to incorporate your culture into your wedding.
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Wear Traditional Wedding Garments for the Reception
Incorporating cultural traditions into a wedding requires understanding the significance of rituals and making sure that they’re integrated appropriately and respectfully. But there’s no rule that says you can’t modernize traditions to suit your style. Feel free to adapt certain practices, but make sure that the essence remains intact. You should also see to it that your venue can be tailored to accommodate traditional requirements, so to simplify your wedding planning process consider booking an all-inclusive venue that aligns with your vision. These types of venues allow for flexibility in everything from the decor to the food, saving you time and effort for a hassle-free wedding.
For an easy and unexpected way to integrate your culture into your special day, think about changing into traditional wedding garb before the reception. A Chinese bride, for instance, can wear a red cheongsam, which is a traditional form-fitting dress with a Mandarin collar. The groom can wear a Tang suit, which consists of trousers and a traditional jacket with embroidery and a Mandarin collar. Meanwhile, a Scottish bride may wear a traditional Scottish wedding dress with a pleated skirt, while the groom can wear a kilt with a formal jacket.
If you want your guests to wear traditional attire, include this information in your wedding invitation so they can have ample time to prepare. Be sure to mention the do’s and don’ts too. For example, if you want your guests to come in Chinese-inspired or traditional attire, let them know that women may wear a cheongsam or qipao in soft pastel colors like purple, soft blues, or pink, or a warm color like champagne. Red should be avoided at all costs since this color is reserved for the bride, and everyone is encouraged to wear gold jewelry since it’s a symbol of good luck.
Offer Food and Drinks that Represent your Heritage
Serving typical wedding dishes like chicken, beef, or fish ensures that most guests will find something that they enjoy, and it also helps you to manage your reception budget. But if you want to serve fare that represents some of your childhood favorites, think about offering some snacks and drinks from your culture alongside crowd-pleasing and familiar options. One way to do this is to have a grazing table of traditional snacks, hors d’oeuvres, or desserts. For instance, to celebrate your Indian heritage, fill a grazing table with mini samosas, pani puri, chicken tikka kebabs, mini steamed chickpea cakes, and aloo tikki. Serve them with a selection of yogurt, mint, and tamarind chutneys, and traditional drinks like mango lassi, masala chai, and spiced lemonade.
For an interactive experience, think about including traditional cooking and eating practices in your wedding reception. Couples with a Hawaiian heritage can have a luau and offer staples like kalua pig, poke, lomi salmon, poi, and haupia. For an authentic Hawaiian luau experience, hire hula dancers so they can entertain your guests with performances while they eat. Meanwhile, Filipino couples can arrange a boodle fight to foster unity and camaraderie. This dining concept involves serving food on long tables covered with banana leaves, then grilled meats, seafood, rice, vegetables, and fresh fruits are piled high on the leaves for everyone to share. Everyone eats with no utensils, and they stand side by side to celebrate togetherness and community.
You can also hire a bartender to make a signature cocktail inspired by your heritage. To honor French traditions, serve a French 75 which is a drink made with gin, Champagne, simple syrup, and lemon. If you want to include Japanese cocktails in your menu, consider a Japanese slipper, made with Midori, lemon juice, and Cointreau. Meanwhile, couples who want their drinks to reflect their diverse backgrounds and customs can come up with a cocktail inspired by their combined traditions. For example, a Thai groom and an American bride can ask their bartender to create a Thai Basil Gimlet, which is a blend of vodka, lime juice, Thai basil, and simple syrup.
Take it to the Dance Floor
There’s nothing like dancing to celebrate a joyous occasion, so as an energy booster and to keep things fun, encourage your guests to join you and your partner as you bust a move on the dance floor. Incorporate your culture into this part of the reception by asking the DJ to create a mix of traditional music with modern dance tunes, or play pop tunes from your home country. You may also want to involve family members in traditional dances like the Jewish Hora, the Scottish reel, or the Mexican money dance. To get more people to dance, hire local performers, like samba dancers, Filipino folk dancers, or Bollywood dancers to perform and then invite guests to join them.
If your relatives and friends are willing to perform on your special day, ask them to perform a traditional or modern version of a song or dance from your culture. Korean couples may ask their pals to perform a K-pop song and dance routine inspired by groups like BTS or Twice, or the animated hit show “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” Meanwhile, couples who’d like to pay tribute to their Spanish heritage can ask their relatives to perform a modern flamenco routine to a song by a contemporary artist, like Rosalia, Maria Jose Llergo, or Solea Morente.
Send Guests Home with Cultural Treats or Handmade Items
Forget about sending your guests home with typical giveaways. Instead of scented candles or drinkware, consider giving everyone some cultural treats or handmade items from your home country. Edible giveaways are recommended since they don’t create clutter, so think of food items like boxes of Belgian chocolates, packs of Colombian coffee beans, packets of Philippine dried mangoes, personalized bottles of Italian olive oil or homemade limoncello, or mini bottles of French Champagne.
If you prefer traditional, functional art giveaways over food items, think of getting small objects that you can buy in bulk from your region. Things like hand-painted Kutani coasters from Japan, small hand-carved wooden elephant statues from India, lacquerware from Vietnam, mini Matryoshka dolls from Russia, or small bottles of pure argan oil from Morocco offer a unique way to say thank you to your guests. Bundle these items with candies or packaged cookies from your home country so your guests can have something to snack on once they’re home. Use pretty packaging made from sustainable materials, and include a short note to convey your thanks.
Incorporating cultural traditions is an excellent way to personalize a wedding. Consider these ideas to make your special day more fun and exciting while honoring your customs and heritage.
