Ethnic Wedding Themes

Recently we posted three ethnic wedding themes – Afro-Centric, Chinese and Greek Ethnic Wedding Themes.  We had such a response that we are featuring four more – Italian, Hindu, Irish and Polish Ethnic Wedding Themes for brides who want to get in touch with theirs or their groom’s cultural background. Learn about the ceremony, traditions, menu and receptions for each of these ethnic weddings. You can click photos to enlarge.

Italian Ethnic Wedding

Italian Wedding

The Ceremony: For a traditional Italian wedding, the bride will wear a white dress, symbolizing purity, and a veil to keep the groom from seeing her face before the ceremony.  She will not wear any gold until the moment that her wedding ring is placed on her finger.  Most Italian weddings are also held in Catholic ceremonies. The ceremony will therefore be proceeded by a Catholic Mass. Most Italian wedding ceremonies take place in the morning or early afternoon. Following the wedding ceremony, it is customary to release two doves into the air. The best day to get married is Sunday, but weddings during Lent or Advent are often forbidden. [Read more]

Greek Orthodox Wedding

Greek Orthodox Wedding

Our cultural wedding for this week is the Greek Orthodox Wedding.  The Greek Orthodox ceremony is very traditional and has not changed much in many years.  It is a very unique event, full of symbolism and tradition.  Watch the video at the end of this depicting a Greek Orthodox Wedding.

Ceremony:
Prior to the ceremony, the guests and groom stand outside the church, awaiting the arrival of the bride.  The groom usually holds a bouquet of flowers to give to his bride.  The ceremony itself takes place in two parts.
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Chinese Ethnic Wedding

Here’s another ethnic wedding that you might be interested in knowing, especially if you and/or your groom would like to add some of your ethnic ceremonies to your wedding as signs of respect and love for your culture.

Ethnic Wedding – Chinese

Chinese Wedding

The Ceremony:

Traditional Chinese weddings are filled with ritual.  There were many symbolic ceremonies which had to take place before the wedding itself even began.  After extensive preparation, the wedding ceremony would be conducted at the family altar.  Here the couple would pay homage to their ancestors and gods.  The couple would share tea, then bow to each other.  In many cases this completed the ceremony.

Though many Chinese ceremonies today are more modern, traditional influences are abundant.  Guests will usually wear at least a small hint of red to symbolize luck and prosperity for the couple.  The symbol of double happiness is also often spotted in the decorations.  [Read more]