When deciding on a wedding theme, most couples tend to lean toward the more popular ones: beach, western, butterfly, etc. However, by turning your attention toward an ethnic theme wedding you'll find that it's a wonderful way to incorporate your heritage and personalize your wedding day. Your wedding guests will also appreciate experiencing some of your wonderful cultural traditions.

Just as in any traditional wedding theme planning, you need to look at each aspect of your wedding plans and decide how and what ethnic traditions you can include. Here are some ideas to help you along.

Choosing Wedding Colors

In some cases, you can interject certain colors into your color scheme. For example, those with a Scottish background could use the colors of their tartans in their table decorations, wedding flowers and bridal attire. Couples who are planning an Asian wedding would look at including reds and yellows, perhaps.

Wedding Attire

The bride, groom and attendants should all wear culturaly traditional bridal attire for the ceremony. The guests will certainly love this, especially those who don't know much about your culture.

Wedding Favors

Look about your home for ethnic house decorations that you might have to provide you with some inspiration. Items such as artwork could lead to handing out low-cost small framed posters or art work featuring your native country.

Bookmarks or music CD's from your homeland would also make great wedding favors.

Ethnic Wedding Decorations

Choose wedding flowers and arrangements that would be popular for your culture. For example, orchids are widely used in Hawaiian cultures, while lotus blossoms are popular for Chinese weddings. Daisies and zinnias are suitable for a Mexican wedding.

Use decorating accents and props strategically placed through out the reception area that are appropriate to your culture to help bring the "feel" of the theme to your guests. Fringed table runners in deep colors would enhance an Arab or East-Indian theme, while colorfully small-beaded coasters would look lovely on tables for an American Indian wedding (these could also double as favors). Small African masks could be used as decorating accents in a variety of areas for an African-American wedding.

Additional Theme Ideas

It goes without saying that music from your native country is a must. Hire a musician for the ceremony to play a traditional musical instrument. Play some of this type of music during key parts of your reception (however, don't play it throughout the whole night… a small sampling is best in this case).

If there are dances that are special to your culture, hire some dancers to entertain guests during dinner or to start off the reception.

Plan to have a small part of the ceremony done in your native tongue (preferably with a translator for those that don't speak the language so they don't miss anything).

For entertainment, include any interesting or simple games, if appropriate, during the reception.