Planning the perfect inter-faith wedding

With almost 50 per cent of South Asian marriages being inter-faith, couples are finding unique ways to adapt the traditional wedding format to combine different cultures and customs...

All in a day

Think carefully whether you want to have two ceremonies in one day. It can be difficult to organize and your guests may be rather exhausted by the time it comes to the evening reception. On the other hand, having it all done quickly allows less time for bickering over details amongst relatives.

Sensitivity helps

Always be sensitive to your partner’s culture and beliefs, even it’s not what you had in mind. This might have a far deeper meaning to your partner than you imagine.

Ceremonial customs

When planning a religious wedding or any formal ceremony, always make sure that the people involved have seen or rehearsed the ceremony. Remember, this is all new to them and they may not understand the language it is conducted in.

Providing information

Ask if the priest or pundit can translate the ceremony into English. A translation of the marriage vows allows for crossing of cultural boundaries and for the guests to participate in the beautiful experience. You could have information sheets with the order of the ceremony and any translation of passages along with an explanation of the significance of certain persons and symbols included in the ceremony. This could be enclosed with the invitation card or distributed by ushers on the day.

Budget tip

If you go for two ceremonies, choosing smaller venues or serving finger foods instead of a three-course meal will help to keep the bills down and will allow you to splash out elsewhere.

Being creative

Try and merge the two cultures by experimenting with combining music, decorations, clothes and food to reflect both your backgrounds. Ask your caterer to create your own personalised fusion cuisine. There are some that specialize in Indian fusion food and can create a unique three-course meal that will blend the two cultures.

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