Wedding Blog

I have a very vast heritage, to say the least. A guy I dated briefly once cutely referred to me as the United Nations, and it’s stuck with me ever since. I’m pretty racially ambiguous, so random people often ask me what my heritage/nationality/ethnicity is. Could I take offense to this? Sure, I suppose, but most people ask politely, and frankly, I’ve been asked this question so many times in my life that it doesn’t even faze me anymore. I always start my response off with, “Well… I’m basically the United Nations…”

It’s funny, breaks the ice, and usually makes the person who asked feel like less of a jerk for being so forward. It’s a win-win for everyone. So here goes…

I am:

British, Trinidadian, French, Spanish, and Indian. See, told ya it was a lot!

I absolutely love the fact that my heritage comprises so many different cultures, traditions, and histories, and I am hoping to incorporate a little of each into our wedding ceremony. I’ve only just begun to research each individual country’s wedding traditions, but here’s what I have so far:

British Tradition: It’s been a little difficult finding something that would really “stand out” as very English, as their wedding ceremonies are so similar to ours, but I have found one that I really like. Apparently, English brides often sew a horseshoe onto the hem of their dress as a symbol of good luck. It sounds simple enough, and I especially love the horseshoe below. Any excuse for more Tiffany’s is reason enough for me!

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Trinidadian Tradition: In Trinidad, it’s popular for the cake to be brought in on the head of a wedding guest, but I’m assuming that their cakes are not multiple tiers… could you imagine? Our very own cake wreck! Another tradition they have, which would be much more logistically possible, is covering the cake in a mosquito net. Considering our wedding and reception is all outdoors, it’s actually a great idea. Why did I not think of this earlier? It would be pretty, functional, and could be used above our bed post-wedding (bow-chicka-bow-wow, ambiance):

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French Tradition: We’re already having a very (very) French influenced wedding, so I didn’t think we needed anything else. Then I found this: In early France, before the veil evolved into what we know today, the bride and groom would be veiled in silk fabric at the end of their ceremony, which would then be turned into a christening gown for their first born child. While we would forgo the silk fabric, I love the idea of the tulle from my veil being incorporated into our future child’s christening gown- or any clothing, for that matter.

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Spanish Tradition: I couldn’t find many Spanish traditions that would fit into our wedding, except this one: in Spanish culture, it’s customary for the bride to carry orange blossoms in her bouquet as a symbol of happiness and fulfillment. I’m certainly happy and certainly fulfilled, so I don’t see why not!

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Indian Tradition: One word: menhdi. I love the look of henna; the intricacy just makes me swoon. It might look a little ridiculous at our very western wedding, but I just love it so much. Maybe I can figure out a way to get it done so it’s a little more discreet. Another interesting tidbit regarding henna: the bride’s and groom’s names are usually hidden within the menhdi and the wedding night is not supposed to commence until the groom has found both names. Sounds like a fun game, eh?

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Do you know of any other traditions from these countries that I could incorporate into our wedding? What cultural traditions are you going to have in your wedding?