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Hey all! This is my first time posting on this board and I am planning on a 2017 Carnival Cruise Wedding. I really like the low stress idea, where there's no having to deal with clean up or set up, its just one big party! I am nervous about how everyone else will react to the news, my mom and sister love the idea but I don't want the rest of my family to roll their eyes and say ' we have to PAY to come to your wedding?'. How did your families react when you told them the news? Did you get any bad reactions?

Kerala is full of diverse tradition and culture. The three major communities in Kerala are Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Christians of Kerala have immersed themselves into the customs and practices of other two communities in Kerala, the Hindu and Muslim which blend to form a truly special wedding ceremony. Taking a look at the wedding attires and the bridal jewelry the Indian Christian weddings are quite distinct from what we imagine. The major wedding ceremonies in a Kerala Christian wedding: Matchmaking Marriages are considered the union of two people predestined by God. The initial proposal of the marriage begins from the brides sides through elders, relatives or with the help of brokers. Once both the families are fully convinced and satisfied about the family status and background, then they proceed to fix a date for the engagement or manassammatham and wedding day after the Kerala is full of diverse tradition and culture. The three major communities in Kerala are Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Christians of Kerala have immersed themselves into the customs and practices of other two communities in Kerala, the Hindu and Muslim which blend to form a truly special wedding ceremony. Taking a look at the wedding attires and the bridal jewelry the Indian Christian weddings are quite distinct from what we imagine. The major wedding ceremonies in a Kerala Christian wedding: Matchmaking Marriages are considered the union of two people predestined by God. The initial proposal of the marriage begins from the brides sides through elders, relatives or with the help of brokers. Once both the families are fully convinced and satisfied about the family status and background, then they proceed to fix a date for the engagement or manassammatham and wedding day after the male members from the groom’s side of the family goes to the bride’s home for fixing the wedding also known as kalyanamuraappeeru. Pre- Wedding Rituals Betrothal or the Manassammatham After the date for the wedding is fixed the next function is the betrothal or the manassammatham. Generally, the engagement ceremony takes place in girl’s home. Both the bride and groom show their willingness to marry in front of the church and their relatives. Betrothal is usually done as a small marriage function itself. The groom and his family members reach the bride’s parish along with the letter from their priest. All family members attend this ceremony and give their blessings to bride and groom for their married life and future. Announcement of Marriage via Church - Kalyanam Vilichu Chollal After the betrothal function, the marriage acceptance of both the bride and groom are announced to the public during Sunday Mass. Wedding Eve Madhuram Veppu The day before the wedding is filled with a number of ceremonies and rituals which follow the customs of Christian marriages. Night before the marriage, at the brides and grooms house, the Madhuram Veppu is conducted. The bride /groom is placed in a special seat and then the prayers are done and the uncle of the bride/groom will ask to the group of close relatives, whether he shall give the bride/groom the sweet, It will be asked three times and then sweet is given to the bride/groom. Wedding Day On the wedding day, the bride and the groom set off from their home after offering prayers. Marriage is usually conducted by the groom’s party, at their parish. The marriage is done along with the holy mass. The marriage is blessed in the middle of the holy mass, by the priest. One of the most imperative rituals in a Kerala Christian Wedding is Minnukettu. The bride ties a thaali on her neck. It is hanged on a string which is made from the seven threads that are taken from mantrakodi. Later, this string is replaced by a gold chain. At the end of this wedding ceremony, the couple signs their names in the register along with two witness’s signatures. With the end of the marriage functions at the church, the bride changes her costume to wear the mantrakodi. More about Kerala weddings visit- https://fonixeventmanagementcompany.blogspot.in/

I’m new here but was googling for some insight and came across this site. Couldn’t quite find a scenario like mine (not surprising) so figured I would ask my own question for some outside input as I’m stuck rumaging through my brain right now. There’s too much background info to get into, but basically my mother has been a functioning/nonfunctioning alcoholic and narcissist my entire life. I love her to death but there’s always been a strain on our relationship and I’ve felt like I’ve had to “watch out” for her, especially the last 5 or so years (I’m 26). She has a pretty intense personality without alcohol, but she often becomes belligerent and verbally abusive when she comes in contact with any amount of alcohol. Change pages to my fiance- he’s an amazing partner and father to my 7yo son. He comes from an Asian (Indian) family, and he showcases many of their values- education, etiquette, order, and most importantly- respect. We’ve been together a little over 2 years now and are getting married later this year. He had a few brief encounters with my mom that were decent, but other than that he only experienced her through what I shared with him of our relationship- until this weekend. We moved across country 4 months ago and she just came to visit. She seemed to be doing well in life and told me she had not been drinking for a long time, and I SURELY didn’t think she would drink as she hadn’t seen us in months and would only be here for a few days. Well, I was wrong. Things were fantastic all the way up until the last day- in which she snuck and drank while my fiance and I were at work and our son was at school. He got home first and before I got there she had made more than one very disrespectful comment about him, including referencing him being a terrorist and comparing his family to The Jungle Book. IT WAS HORRIFYING. When I finally got here, she blew up and was full blown screaming and saying mean things to us all. Terrible is an understatement. I had her leave earlier than expected, and I’m still dealing with the aftermath. My fiance had never been exposed to anything like that and was distraught. He’s refusing to ever have anything else to do with her and saying she’s never welcome in our home. It’s sad that I’m a bit numb to it, but I respect his wishes as I can’t imagine anyone let alone his parents ever treating me that way. SO…with all that being said- here’s my concern: we will be having our wedding at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, meaning alcohol EVERYWHERE. I was really believing (false hope) nothing would happen when she visited here, but apparently I was wrong. I’m concerned, and my fiance is even MORE concerned, that something will happen during the 4-day event with all his family there. I seriously can’t imagine my wedding day without her and I know I’d regret her not being there, but I am at a lost for other options about what to do for this huge life event (not to mention my marriage and my relationship with her moving forward). Any and all input is appreciated!

Hello! My name is Kimmie, and I work for Discovery Studios - the in-house production company for Discovery Communications. We are making a pilot with a wedding planner duo, and are looking to connect with brides who would be interested in FREE day-of coordination! We are looking to film from April 11th-April 17th and April 25th-April 30th, 2017. If your wedding in those dates and you would be interested in the free coordination, please email kimmie_lucas@discovery.com or call 323-308-3751.

Weddings are full of touching and heartfelt times to share with the one you love as well as friends and family. They are especially moving when they involve different cultures and backgrounds. Here are some of the suggestions we have for planning a multi-cultural wedding full of inspirational traditions that will bring together cultures, backgrounds and religions into a party that is sure to be loved by all! Celebrate Diversity! Enjoy this time of planning! Work together to combine traditions in a diverse celebration that will be uniquely yours! Sharing your culture with your partner, understanding together and appreciating the different customs will give you a great start to a long and happy relationship together! 1.Be Daring with a Fashionable Fusion We hosted a Hindu wedding for a couple and the celebration lasted 3 days!!! We loved the professional henna artwork that the bride and her entire family wore on their hands and feet. In the Hindu culture, it is believed that henna enhances the beauty of the bride – and we definitely agree! 2.Wedding Party Customs Bring together traditions from each background for the wedding party. You can add small symbols that represent each culture on the bouquet or the boutonniere. Or have the wedding party arrive in a traditional fashion. In the Hindu wedding, the groom arrived to the wedding with his family and closest friends in an incredible parade that included traditional singing and dancing. The entrance represented the happiness the groom and his family felt toward the new bride. 3. Blending Ceremonial Traditions In Jewish weddings, the couple breaks a glass together to be reminded of the fragility of relationships. In the Filipino culture, they include a money dance. At our Hindu favorite, they included a Ganesh Puja ritual for good luck. Ganesh represented the destruction of all obstacles. It may not be feasible to include ALL of the traditions of both the bride’s culture and the groom’s culture – but pick the traditions that will be the most meaningful and respectful to you and your family. Most of all – have fun while you plan! Check out the images above for more ideas and inspiration! On Trend: Reciting Your Vows in a Different Language We have seen this displayed in two ways. One: recite the vows to you beloved in your first language. There’s something so special about saying your vows in the language of your heart and mind. You could also change it up and read the vows to your spouse in his/her language – this version takes a lot more practice! Tell Us: What is the most memorable tradition you have seen at a multi-cultural wedding?