We absolutely love celebrating culture on Nu Bride.

Couples are more blended and more integrated than ever before, with millennial couples more likely to be in mixed or interracial relationships, it’s no surprise weddings are becoming more intersectional and more colourful and more personal. They are the perfect way to celebrate who you both are. To express elements of your personality in a way you haven’t before and the perfect way to symbolise joining two families and sometimes several cultures together.

So, how do you elegantly celebrate your western side and also honour and add culture to your wedding day, without it looking like a car crash?

Fear not, these five tips will send you on your merry way.

1. The Food

Photo by Binky Nixon

Expressing your culture is easily done through your food, it helps if you have a creative chef, or at least one who is willing to deviate away from any set menus!

If you’re worried about having a kaleidoscope of flavours. Use different points of the day to add different elements of your culture.

For example, you could add a taste of the caribbean in your cocktail hour with rum punch and tropical fruit punches, some canapes with an authentic nod to your favourite Caribbean cuisine.
And stick with your main meal for western nods.

This stylish Nu Bride couple honoured part of their British culture by having traditional afternoon tea!

2. Your Wedding Ceremony

Perhaps the most important aspect of your day is your ceremony. You can incorporate your cultures through your religion, through the language you speak, poetry and readings that are representative of your heritage. Perhaps it might be as simple as ensuring that you research and include a combination of wedding traditions that is native to your heritage.

3. The Music

Use music to tell the story of who you are and create a soundtrack of your lives and your journey to your wedding day.

Music choices during your ceremony, to a cocktail hour, to your main entertainment, to your first dance. There are so many natural moments to use music to punctuate your day and add your cultures.

If you have some Argentinian blood in you – what about considering a sexy Argentine Tango for your first dance?

Or celebrate your Caribbean culture by adding your very own carnival

Don’t rule out social dances either, from Slovak folk dance, to afro beats, the electric slide and the oke koke. Social dancing is a great way to break the ice too and encourage your guests to learn something new.

4. Your Clothing, Colours & Cloth

Make a bold statement with your wedding clothing, colours and cloth. Or a subtle nod. The choice is yours!

From the colours you choose for yourself or your wedding party, to the fabric, to having two completely different outfits – one traditional, the other western. The choice is yours if your budget allows like this stunning Bridal Musings couple.

Nu Bride couple Horia of Romanian heritage and Assumpta of British-Nigerian heritage gifted their couples with robes incorporating traditional Romanian print.

You could also add a culture using traditional cloth in accessories like bow ties or kilts, like this wonderful couple that broke the internet in 2017 by celebrating multicultural marriage.

5. The Stationery

Your stationery gives guests the first impression of your wedding day and is the perfect opportunity to fuse cultures.

Add cultural design elements. If there are colours, symbols, patterns or signs that symbolise your culture, work with your stationery designer to add them.

If your wedding features a number of traditions or rituals that some guests might not be accustomed to, use your stationery as an opportunity to educate guests about the rituals and what they mean. It’s a great way to help guests feel included and a lovely keepsake.

Have fun exploring and researching cultural traditions and cultural elements that mean something to you both, if they resonate with you, include them and if they don’t ditch them. Also, seek counsel from family, they will love sharing more about family and cultural traditions and help you ensure you deliver them authentically.

Happy Planning!

About the Author

Nova Reid founded Nu Bride in January 2012 during her own wedding planning to celebrate wedding diversity, educate and encourage a more visually inclusive wedding industry. If you would like to find out more about planning a modern and equal marriage and fusing cultures together, check out Nu Bride The Wedding Show, the UK’s first wedding show dedicated to diversity. Taking place on the 5th and 6th of April at Camden House, London

More About the Show

Nu Bride The Wedding Show is The UK's first wedding show dedicated to wedding diversity and the modern millennial couple – Everything you need to plan your stylish wedding day and ever after.

Why?

A 2017-2018 Nu Bride survey revealed that over 94% of couples who attended mainstream wedding shows, felt that wedding shows were segregated, dated, lacked inspiration for modern couples and lacked inspiration for multicultural couples. They also felt shows were too ‘samey' and did not adequately serve their needs.

Nu Bride is all about encouraging change, 2019 is most definitely the year of change and is the perfect time to introduce a new wedding experience.

What?

This boutique show sponsored by Camden House and in partnership with social enterprise Brides do Good is for modern couples who care about diversity and equality. It will feature everything from visual inspiration to inspire styling, delicious food from the former head chef from Harrods, expert panel discussions, workshops and tips from the experts, including important budgeting & planning advice, sustainability, blending cultures together, vow writing workshops, wedding wellbeing and much more.

Couples can expect access to quality, equality-minded and friendly suppliers hand-picked by Nu Bride, stunning fashion and beauty, show-stopping entertainment. Plus the show will also feature dedicated services helping couples not only plan for marriage but life beyond their wedding day.

When?

5th and 6th April 2019
Camden House, North London

Find out more on the Nu Bride The Wedding Show's website.