Inspiration Friday…. Ethnic Eye Candy
Ahhhhh, It’s Friday once again and time to share something spectacular with all of you!
Today I am working on a whole whack of inspiration boards for my Wedding Clients and this summer I have well over a dozen ethnic/Indian weddings that I am working on with some real fabulous couples. I found these great colour specific boards to share from one of my favourite sites WeddingSutra.
Enjoy and Have a Great Weekend!
Photos by Cavvy Chin
Planning Ethnic Weddings
“A wonderful way to share your uniqueness”
Today’s couples come from varied backgrounds and are made up of mixed races, religions and ethnicities. There are few customs that unite us all as people, but the ritual of the wedding has no cultural boundaries and the concept of marriage remains the same from culture to culture. The way in which a two people are united can be very personalized and enlightening. There is no one right way to get married, and many contemporary couples bring their own blend of tradition and tastes to their big day.
Incorporating ethnic customs and traditions in a respectful manner are an excellent place to start when planning (since the process can easily become overwhelming) and is a great way to honour both individuals and their families. Even the smallest out of the ordinary gestures and details can personalize a wedding and set the mood for the entire event. It can also ensure that this special day makes a lasting impression that will be memorable to both you and your guests for a lifetime.
If you and your fiancée come from different cultural backgrounds, there are many ways to think about how to integrate and blend both backgrounds into your wedding ceremony and reception celebration.
Tips to help incorporate and blend your cultural traditions:
Invitations:
Invitations usually set the tone for the wedding, couples can use this opportunity to let guests know about the cultural traditions that will be part of the wedding. For example incorporating a cultures sacred text, poem, quote or choosing to create a bilingual invitation is a great way to customize any invite.
Décor:
Colours are a great source of inspiration and featuring traditional and prominent colours of a country or region is a unique way to create a very personalized and custom décor theme. For example, those with an Indian background could use the vibrant, rich and jewel tone colours of their culture and clothing in their table decorations, linens and wedding flowers.
Attire:
Couples may think about having their wedding party wear traditional accessories and clothing and/or at least traditional colours that envoke a cultural feeling.
Food and Drink:
Food is a great connector and a great way to embrace cultural blending. Choose to have an ethnic menu instead of the norm of “chicken and beef”. For example choosing hors d’ouevres from one or both cultures or doing a traditional dish for the main course. Think about creating a dinner buffet that fuses the cuisines of both cultures, create a special wedding cake that showcases special recipes for each layer, or serving wines from both countries or sake for toasting instead of champagne.
Ceremony:
Finding the right officiant or clergy member to perform your ceremony can help honour and blend traditions. Many couples can honour their culture and even different religious beliefs through readings, blessings, clothing and music. Many couples even opt for two separate ceremonies (and sometimes two different receptions) so that both religions and all customs can be respected. This definitely allows for twice the amount of celebrating and fun!
Programs:
Provide explanations of rituals and traditions that are included in the wedding, this will help guests feel more at ease and on top of what’s going on. A well thought out and beautifully designed program can help educate and entertain your guests.
Music:
Consider hiring a band or DJ that specializes in cultural music… strategically including a polka or bhangra in the musical repertoire always adds to any event. You may even want to have professional performers and dancers showcase and teach cultural dances, this helps guests join in the fun!
Favours:
Look at cultural traditions when choosing your favour. Many cultures have traditional types of favours for example at an Italian wedding, Jordan almonds are given to guests to symbolizes the wish for the new couple of “health, wealth, happiness, children and long life”. Put extra thought into your favours (you want guests to cherish them, not shove them in a drawer or even worse toss them in the garbage upon arriving at home) Personalize your favours with custom wedding labels, ribbon and even use traditional language and symbols to add flair to your favour packaging.
Remember, your wedding should represent who you are as a couple!