{Multicultural Weddings} 5 Top Tips for Creating a Unique Blended Wedding

Happy Monday, lovelies! Lately, the blog has just been bursting with smiling brides and grooms, eclectic vintage decor, global inspiration, and top tips for changing your maiden name! Gosh, I love my job! This week is no different - two lovely cultural wedding are all queued up and ready to rock your wedding world! I can't wait for tomorrow's sweet Indian-Latino couple. Sneak peek, nothing more!

Photo Credit: Day7 Photography

In preparation for tomorrow's Real Wedding, I want to share some quick tips for creating a Unique, Blended wedding. As with all weddings, the goal of any multicultural/religious/racial celebration should be a joyous and celebratory affair. But they are not without their challenges. You're mixing not only two families full of characters, attitudes, egos, and beliefs but also two individual lifestyles. The end result - a brand new fusion version that represents you together as a couple. The big question is how to do it with honor and respect AND still like each other at the end of the night.

The answer: Use this moment to promote understanding and appreciation of another culture, heritage, religion, or race. Celebrate what is different, exotic, unique, beautiful; embrace family traditions, mix 'em up, and make them YOUR new family's traditions. This world is built on love; doesn't matter where we come from or what we look like or what food we eat; what matters is who you become together.

So with all that said, here are my Top Tips for a successful cultural wedding: 

1. Invitations and Programs: Wedding invitations are the first clue as to the nature of the event. Remember to include some cultural reference in the invitation design; if the celebration spans a few days, a quick explanation of various events is appropriate. Use your programs to explain the meanings behind religious or ceremonial customs. Your guests will have far greater respect and appreciation for the moment when they understand it.

Photo Credit: Ceci Style

2. Music and Dance: Bust a move! Music and dance are the heartbeat of any culture so show it off and play it loud. Include important musical traditions - drumming, bagpipes, Samba, Mariachi - to introduce treasured heritage and get the party started. Traditional dance serves as exiting entertainment for guests, so hire a dance troupe or learn the steps to a traditional dance for your first whirl around the floor and then teach it to all your guests. Ask your DJ to help with instructions or if you are a crafty type, create a step by step dance tutorial card for each table.

Photo Credit: del Sol Photography

3. Food: YES! Food… a great mediator… plenty of food and drink! You know I am a huge advocate for serving cultural cuisine buffet style; let guests sample food and drink without being forced to sit down to a meal of unusual and interesting fare.  Carefully vet caterers and have lots of tastings to make sure their dishes are up to par. And don't forget the drinks - we put together a Top Ten guide of the best cultural wedding cocktails - part 1 and part 2!

Photo via: Dex Knows Weddings

4. Attire: In many cultures, newlyweds change attire a number of times during the wedding celebration.  Often, multicultural couples opt for a traditional white wedding in addition to a cultural ceremony with an entirely different wardrobe -  a tea ceremony comes to mind.  Traditional dress honors your heritage, carries on family traditions, and makes for some gorgeous, memorable photos. 

Photo Credit: Heidi Dryer

 5. Best tip of ALL: Create new tradition. This is your wedding! What do you like, what do you want, who are you - and go with that. Make this your own - why serve wedding cake if you hate wedding cake...serve a meat pie instead like this couple did. Create your own ceremony traditions - I heard of a bride who walked in to the Star Wars theme. Get married by a group of friends, sing your vows,  how about some crowns, try handfasting, jump a broom, DO ANYTHING YOU LIKE, just make it memorable and do it together. THAT is how you successfully blend two "cultures."

Are you having a multicultural/faith/racial wedding? What are some of your biggest challenges and what would you add to this list? I want to hear from you so leave a comment below or shoot me an email with your ideas.

Make it Happy!

Our Cultural Wedding Article Featured on Wedding Window Blog

I'm writing from the road; the hubs and I are still on our honeymoon. Yes, I know it seems like it has been forever...but we planned a nine month trip and we are currently in San Francisco, CA, gearing up for the second phase, which also includes another wedding in Brazil for my husband's family. Go HERE for a few more details of our plans.

The real point of this post is to share my article, A Little Culture Goes a Long Way, that was posted today on Wed Loft, the blog for Wedding Window. As the premiere wedding website service, Wedding Window helps couples plan, manage, and execute their wedding with ease. Hooray! I am super stoked to be featured as a Guest Expert on their wedding blog....Wed Loft offers expert advice on everything wedding, follows real life couples on their way to the altar, and has amazing wedding giveaways and freebies. They have amazing wedding planning tools that are not to be missed.

The great thing about writing and blogging is that it can be done anywhere. I think I finished this article when I was in Pokomoke City, MD.  Here is a quick look-see at the feature....for the whole article, head over to Wed Loft and make sure you leave a comment and let is know what you liked best about the post.

Exquisite Tea Favors in Gorgeous Paper Packages

I found this super fun DIY favor project over at The Paper Place...it is a steal worthy idea and so I'm sharing it here with you. This is a perfect project for couples looking to add a little elegance, spunk, and beautiful paper, which I always say is ALSO a great way to infuse a hint of culture, to their wedding favors.

So have at it! A big thank you to the folks over at The Paper Place. This is their project, I simply added a few extra pieces.

How-To: Exquisite Tea Favors in Gorgeous Paper Packages!!

What you will need:
~* Waterproof Watermark tissue or any stiffish frabric-y tissue paper, see through is best
~* Decorative Papers, I personally like the papers over at Paper Source. They have a great
selection to match any wedding theme
~* Printer compatible paper for labels
~* Cutting mat and knife
~* Sewing machine or needle & thread
~* Tea, for this project the author used Sakura Cherry Rose to match the Chiyogami paper


1. Cut your tissue to the desired size; remember it has to fold over on itself to create the bag. This one is 3.5 x 8.5”

2. The next direction in the original project called for ironing the sides of this specialty paper Watermark Uzumaki, to create a sealed edge. Product description for this paper says: The backing can be folded against itself and ironed to create a sealed edge, making possible an endless variety of sealed packages, envelopes and bags. It would be similar to No Sew Hem Tape, which could be used instead. However, it you can't find the appropriate paper or the No Sew tape, run it quickly under your sewing machine. It might actually take you less time. Below is the end result.

3. Fill the bag with tea. Use 2 teaspoons per bag, which is enough for 2 cups of tea.
4. Create your label and cut them out.
5. Cut your decorative paper strips. Make it 1.5×3.5” to fold over the top.

6. Line up your label and decorative paper and run through the sewing machine, or hand sew if you do not have access to a machine.

7. Voila! Perfect little favors for a wedding, shower or give as a lovely hostess gift. The possibilities are endless…..

A spin on this idea! Perfect for a summer wedding, choose three different fruit teas (Lemon Meringue Rooibos, Wild Blueberry Rooibos and Tulsi Orange Herbal Tea) and pair them with vibrant Katazome papers. Instead of folding the paper over the top, use just a strip, modify the label layout a bit, sew across and leave the strings hanging loose! 

I love the baker's string, it adds such whimsy and total cuteness! Enjoy this unique and totally creative DIY favor project. Make sure you check out the deLovely Affair DIY Projects and Freebies page for this and other great ideas.

{Real Wedding Roundup} Wedding in Tuscany + Going Greek in Boston

This is has been a super busy week, meetings, meetings and more meetings with a little bit of work thrown in there. The Boston wedding scene is phenomenal community with venues like the Commander's Mansion - where I held my wedding, and Beantown Bride - the only Boston wedding blog to visit....EVER.  So with all that said, while it APPEARS as if I have been neglecting my duty online ---- ok well that is true, it is ONLY because I have been bustin' my hump on the other things that all make this possible.....and now you know. 

Today, a Real Wedding Round Up...I love Real Wedding Round Ups - those round the net roamings that I do to come up with fabulous and inspiring real weddings.  I started this blog because when I got married where were no resources dedicated solely to modern multicultural couples and their weddings...so I decided to start one. YAY! My husband is from Brazil and so for our first Real Wedding Roundup, let's head to that gorgeous country down south for Renata and Fabio's wedding in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo as interviewed by Para Ti Novia. A quick excerpt...and gorgeous photos.

Real Wedding: Renata & Fabio in Ubatuba, SP

Everything was very spontaneous. We are surfers and wanted something very clean, beach style, hippie chic and  natural. We choose the local typical flowers. Good for the budget and matched perfect with the place.  The lace at the clothes is typical from Brazil. Plus, the beach is all ready pretty and special for us we didnt need much to make it beautiful. .In Brazil at the new year´s eve we used to wear all white. We belive it brings positive vibrations, purifications.  

Here's the rest of the interview.

There are some real stunners out there and this Real Wedding from Beantown Bride is no exception.  In fact, it makes my little wedding lovin' heart go all pitter patter!  I particularly love this wedding because of all the small cultural touches they added - easy additions that can evoke a sense of family and cultural pride. Here is an excerpt:

Beantown Bride's Real Wedding: Lindsay and Alex at the Fairmont Copley Plaza
Blogger: Kristen Castillo
Photography courtesy of: Allegro Photography

The bride wore an Elie Saab gown while her groom was dressed in Calvin Klein. Jessica's Country Flowers of Burlington, Conn. created stunning arrangements in rusty orange, yellow and green using flowers such as roses, orchids, and calla lilies. Candles accented the flowers and added romance to the reception. Wine corks were used as escort card holders; wooden wine crates served as appetizer displays; and guest tables were numbered by Sonoma wine bottles. The wedding cake from Cakes To Remember was a caramel tiramisu topped with milk chocolate butter cream. The groom honored his father, who is from Crete, by giving guests olive oil wedding favors.  

Here's the rest of the story...

And last on our RW Roundup, a couple who took their vows in Tuscany from Destination I Do Magazine blog...yet another stunner.  Here is a quick excerpt...

This Real-Life Couple Took Their Vows to Tuscany
Written by Courtney Cox
Photos courtesy of Lisa Poggi Photography
Wedding planning by Weddings in Tuscany

Some people assume that having a destination wedding means a lot more work, money and effort. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. By picking an awe-inspiring destination, it’s easy for a couple to let the wedding’s surroundings do the talking – so to speak. 

This is exactly what Jessica and Jordan did. They chose to say “I do” in the countryside of Tuscany, Italy. With such a breathtaking backdrop, the couple left the details minimal and simply highlighted the area’s natural beauty.  

Here's the rest of the story.


Well there you have it...our Real Wedding Roundup. Have a deLicious day!


Mellissa