Weddings are special events celebrating the love between two people and marking their union as a married couple. And weddings are a perfect time to honor your background and heritage. By including cultural elements in your look, you can honor your heritage while making a unique statement about yourself or both of you as a couple. Here’s how to include cultural accessories in your wedding look.
Find the Right Accessories
When selecting accessories for your big day, various options are available depending on which elements you want to incorporate into your look. Jewelry is one of the most popular ways couples honor their culture by wearing items such as ethnic necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, or headpieces during their ceremony and reception festivities. Other accessories may include scarves or shawls with embroidered patterns representing particular regions, colorful sashes, floral crowns, flower garlands, cultural bouquets, and cultural makeup. You can also use traditional accessories from your ancestors if you have family heirlooms that would work well in your wedding ceremony. These ancestral pieces are a great way to check off “something borrowed” from your wedding day checklist.
Make Your Own Accessories
Creating your own cultural accessories can be a meaningful way for couples to honor their heritage while ensuring everything looks exactly how they want it on the big day. Depending on what item you wish to make, different materials and techniques will be required. For example, fabric decorations could involve either sewing or intricate weaving techniques, while traditional lei would require the most common flowers used in Hawaiian lei. You can create your own jewelry, headpieces, bouquets, and outfits to honor your heritage on your special day. You can even bring your bridal party together to craft special accessories for a fun pre-wedding event. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your choices and personalize them to your liking.
Include Accessories From Multiple Cultures
It’s important to remember that weddings are about the union of two people. And you and your partner may be from different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it’s a great idea to incorporate items and accessories from both of your cultures into your wedding day. This practice is a lovely way to pay homage to your families and heritages and symbolize the melding of two people. For example, say you have a Hawaiian ethnic background while your future spouse has an Indian background. You can take inspiration from both of these cultures when choosing wedding accessories. You may want to incorporate the Hawaiian tradition of lei into your special day and wear traditional Indian outfits.
Incorporating cultural accessories into your wedding look can be an excellent way to honor your heritage and add a personal touch to the day. Whether you decide to purchase ready-made pieces or make some of your own, there are many options available for couples looking for quality items that accurately reflect their cultures.