Personalized wedding ceremonies are gaining popularity, especially in America. Writing your own vows, incorporating personalized readings, asking a friend to officiate your wedding – these are all common ways for couples to infuse their own personalities into their weddings.
But let’s face it: When you come from a tradition-steeped culture – and as Desis, we certainly do – it can be really, really tough to add personality to the mix.
Photo courtesy of Gerber Scarpelli Weddings
Adding my own stamp of personality to my wedding is very important to me. It hasn’t been easy – and I didn’t figure out how to do this until halfway through the planning process – but I feel confident that when my day comes, it will feel like my day.
Here’s what I’m planning: The day before our big reception, I will be having a Nikkah ceremony at my family’s house. Nikkahs are very simple, somewhat somber occasions and for me, it just didn’t seem right to have mine in front of the 400 plus guests who’ll be attending my ceremony on Saturday. The fact that we’re having the Nikkah at the house i grew up in makes it feel very personal; the small size of the event and the fact that we’ll eat homemade versions of some of my favorite dishes afterwards make it feel even more appropriate.
Image via Busy Bee Photography
We initially planned to go straight to our reception on the night of the main event, but I started to feel like that just wouldn’t feel complete. A lot of desi brides have their ceremonies and receptions on different days but I wanted to make my reception feel more like a complete wedding as opposed to just a party. Here’s what I’m doing: Before heading to our reception, our guests will sit and watch me and my fiancé recite our own personalized vows and exchange rings. A family member will officiate, I’ll walk in to a song that’s special to us and we’ll ask one or two friends to read poems.
Obviously, there’s no single way to personalize your wedding, but I just thought I would share what I’m doing with all of you. Who knows? Maybe it will inspire your planning process!