Multi-Cultural Marriages

Here in ethnically diverse Northern Virginia, multi-cultural marriages embody the best of customs and traditions. Here are just a few:

CHINESE
The color red is considered a symbol of happiness and luck. It is often used on invitations.

GREEK
The bride carries a lump of sugar to ensure a sweet life. Ivy in her bouquet represents endless love.

HINDU
Prior to the wedding day, the bride is tattooed with henna on her hands and feet, known as Mehndi. She wears a red sari embroidered in gold to symbolize abundance and fertility.

PERSIAN
During the ceremony, married women place a white satin cloth above the couple’s heads. Two cones of
sugar are placed in the cloth and rubbed together to represent snowflakes of sweetness and joy.

LATIN-AMERICAN
A cord called “el lazo” is placed around the couple during the ceremony, signifying they are bound for life.

ITALIAN
On her wedding day, the bride does not wear any gold as it is thought to bring bad luck.

JEWISH
At the end of the wedding ceremony, the groom breaks a napkin-wrapped wine glass under his foot as remembrance of the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN
To pay homage to ancestors from days of slavery, couples “jump the broom” to sweep away the old and embrace the new.