JC

The Washington Post reports on the phenomenon of the blended wedding. Not only are we seeing more interracial couples, but more weddings to reflect the ethnicities of the bride and groom. There is a push away from that which is traditional (move over white gowns, hello saris, kente cloth, mandarin-collared dresses), and a move towards individuality and really incorporating culture into this ceremony.

“In the 1950s if you married someone from a different ethnic, country or religious group you could be considered an outcast,” said Michelle R. Nelson, an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In a recent paper on Web site message boards dedicated to inter-cultural and inter-racial wedding planning, Nelson found that brides “are increasingly rejecting scripted and lavish white weddings that don’t allow for personal and cultural identity.” Instead they are incorporating their families’ country, culture or race specific traditions, such as including Romanian folk dances or wearing a Spanish mantilla.

Katie L. Martin, president of Elegance & Simplicity Wedding & Event Designers, with offices in Georgetown and Bethesda, coordinated the wedding for Michelle and Richard Hughes. She estimates that her team produces 150 to 175 weddings a year, and says that at least half of them showcase traditions or customs mixing cultural, ethnic and religious traditions. “The Hugheses did a lot in terms of blending cultures and backgrounds and in a beautiful way, including African drumming and an African-American pastor.”

Martin recalls a recent wedding for an Afghan Muslim bride and an Indian Muslim groom, incorporating rituals from both cultures. “The bride wore a sari during the ceremony to honor the groom’s family, and the reception was alive with Middle Eastern music and dancing,” she said.

And then there are the cake toppers. We have reported on Reneille’s interracially-matched figurines before. Interesting tid-bit from them…their “Asian bride” figure is their best-seller. Co-owner Ellie Genuardi says,”We can hardly keep it in stock.” Makes sense. In the 2000 Census, for example, we saw that almost 50% of Japanese-American women are married to non-Japanese-American males.

Well! Happy wedding season everyone…I myself have a Dominican-Taiwanese wedding to go to this fall!