One of the most beautiful things about weddings is the vastly diverse traditions that surround them. Some like the Jewish tradition of breaking the glass are well known, while others like the African and neo-pagan tradition of jumping over a broom are still somewhat less common. There are so many more traditions out there that have nothing to do with your religion and culture and more to do with your families practices. Every wedding brings a rich history of cultural and family traditions to it; how these many traditions and practices find their way into your day is every bit as important as what centerpieces you are going to choose.
When it comes time to plan your wedding day, you will need to look at your partner and ask what is important to them culturally, family traditions, and religious traditions. Because we aren’t all coming from the same place.
A Catholic might hold no importance to something like jumping over a broom, but a new age spiritualist might just want it more than anything else. Marching down the street in a parade on your wedding day may seem like something you never would have dreamed of, but for your life mate, this might be a family tradition!
Of course if you are someone who is marrying another member of your own faith, from the same culture and traditions, you may be more on the same page than others, but for millions of couples every year they are looking to find a way to combine two different sets of traditions into one day.
I was raised Hindu and my future spouse was raised Christian… The real fun happens when you have two vastly different cultures or religions that come together on a wedding day. And while many may see this is a struggle to honor each others traditions while contending with family expectations, others will revel in the joy of merging these things into new traditions for themselves and their decedents.
One needs to be mindful of family and being respectful of the people you are asking to attend your ceremony. Some families take certain traditions very seriously and it would be an insult to that dearly beloved family member to not include that in your wedding day, but it’s also possible to find your own way of observing tradition while still honoring your families ways. Talk to your partner, and talk to your families. Find out what is most important to all parties, but at the end of the day the most important people to make happy are you and your spouse to be.
However you decide to merge your traditions for your special day, make sure you talk to your officiant/celebrant to make sure they are prepared to help you through those traditions as appropriate. Use this as an opportunity to spread awareness of the many traditions that are out there and help your officiant become an even better servant of their clients. By learning more about your traditions, your provider can better be prepared to help other future clients with their own special practices along their journey.
Just have fun with your day!
