Planning a wedding is always exciting — it is a plan that you weave to see your dreams come to life. From making a guest list to picking the perfect outfit to choosing between the beautiful flowers you love, it is all a journey; a journey that unites two souls.
If your soulmate is from a different part of the world, the wedding becomes a beautiful blend of customs and traditions, showcasing the best of both.
As they say, love knows no boundaries, meeting the love of your life from across the globe and tying the knot, is nothing short of destiny. If you have found your destiny in the Deutschland then, Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Get ready to experience traditions that are never heard in Asian countries. It is surely going to be a blast!
As wedding planners, we have hosted many cross-cultural weddings, and this blog has all that you need to know about Indian-German weddings.
Planning an Indian-German cross-culture wedding
Understand the Cultural Nuances: An Indian-German wedding involves a blending of traditions. Indian weddings are often elaborate. They are almost a week-long affair whereas German weddings tend to be more understated but truly enjoyable. They have traditions like ‘Polterabend’, where the guests break porcelain to bring good luck, and another where the bride is “kidnapped” and the groom has to find her.
You can either choose to have traditions from both backgrounds or pick the ones that you enjoy the most. End of the day, it is all about happy beginnings!
Blending Pre-wedding Rituals and Traditions: Indian weddings have several pre-wedding ceremonies like Haldi, Mehendi, Sangeet, etc that are steeped in tradition and carry deep-rooted symbolism.
German weddings on the other hand do not have many pre-wedding ceremonies but they do have bachelor and bachelorette parties that are now being adopted in India. Standesamtliche Trauung is a civil marriage ceremony in German culture that takes place before the actual wedding and is a legal procedure.
Regardless, the couple can have pre-wedding ceremonies from both sides introducing the other family to the other cultural heritage. This also means double the fun!
The Banquet & Dining Hall
Happenings at the Ceremony: As said earlier, Indian weddings are a week-long affair, and a German wedding is a 1-2 day celebration.
Indian weddings typically have an engagement party, Mehendi, Sangeet, Haldi, Pheras, Mangalsutra Ceremony, Bidaai, and a Reception.
German weddings include a civil ceremony, Polterabend — a pre-wedding tradition where friends and family gather to break porcelain dishes to bring good luck to the couple, Bridal Kidnapping — friends of the groom “kidnap” the bride and take her to a pub and the groom must find and “rescue” her by paying the bill.
Every culture has traditions that let the bride and the groom know it takes two to make the marriage work and so does the German culture. To symbolise the same, they have a log-cutting ceremony where the couple uses a two-person saw to cut a piece of log. Apart from these, they have a wedding shoe ceremony— the bride often collects coins to pay for her wedding shoes symbolising careful financial management and a ribbon dance — guests form a circle around the couple with ribbons and the couple dances their way our symbolising their bond and the love surrounding them.
Despite cultural differences, these ceremonies teach couples the importance of living harmoniously.
Adding a Touch of Both Worlds: There are diverse rituals both in an Indian wedding and a German wedding, but deciding which rituals to include and which to let go of can get tricky. Either you can have a full-fledged Indian wedding first and then, have a church wedding. Or if you’d like to keep it simple, you can have an Indian wedding in the morning and a church wedding in the evening.
Wedding attire and decor: Sarees and Sherwanis are what come to mind when one thinks of Indian wedding attire and if you are planning a cross-cultural wedding, couples can blend traditional Indian outfits with classic German wedding attire. It creates a unique fusion that honours both cultures.
Similarly, the decor can reflect this beautiful amalgamation by incorporating bright, colourful Indian elements like marigold flowers and ornate mandaps alongside the clean lines and understated elegance of German design.
Think of an aisle adorned with a mix of Indian and European floral arrangements and a venue draped in rich fabric and subtle hues, combining the essence of both traditions.
Role of wedding planners: Planning a wedding can get overwhelming. With a never-ending list of things to do, it might seem like a taxing process even before you begin and that’s when the wedding planners come in.
Experienced planners can navigate the complexities of combining Indian customs with German traditions, ensuring that the families have nothing to worry about. They also play a vital role in mediating between families and creating a cohesive event that celebrates the love story of the couple.
Enjoy the Process: Remember, your wedding is the celebration of your love, and the process of planning mustn’t be draining you out. Embrace the process and create a day that reflects your unique story!
Planning a wedding for two individuals who crossed borders for their love is always a pleasant and enriching experience for us as wedding planners. With both of our couples who were involved in a typical Indian-German, we blended the traditions of both the cultures perfectly.
With ceremonies such as Haldi, Sangeet and of course Muhurthum bringing in the Indian blend of Traditions to Log cutting showcasing the German culture. Just as the saying goes – It requires two individuals to build a marraige, we did our best to bring in a perfect blend of both the cultures.
Wedding Services by The Tales of Tradition
Wedding Budgeting:
We handle all aspects of your wedding budget, to ensure it is planned as per your budget. Since we work with wedding vendors throughout the year, we make sure you get the best prices.
Wedding Stationery:
Whether it is save-the-date cards, invitations, thank-you cards, or RSVP cards, we have got you covered. We make sure to stay up to date with all the trends of the season so that you stay relevant with the fads too.
Food & Beverage:
Food and beverage caterers are stars of the event for the hungry guests. With our recommendations, your wedding feast will be as delightful as your big day!
Decor:
Nature needs no embellishments! Peacock Grove is itself a set stage for a picture-perfect wedding. However, a celebration requires some grandeur and we are happy to oblige your needs on floral decor and other theme-based elements.
Photography & Videography:
As Marc Riboud said, “Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” . To treasure your big day, our team has good relations with award-winning photographers, ensuring all your memories are treasured forever.
Wedding Purohit/Pandits:
Finding the right priest or purohit according to your customs, can be a time-consuming task, but we make sure to get it done. Striking off one less responsibility from your to-do list.
Bridal Services:
As a Bride, looking best on your big day is every girl’s dream, but finding the right makeup artist is a daunting task. With the list of the best artists we provide, you can take a trial session before you chose to block them on your dates.
Wedding Ceremonies:
Finding the right priest or purohit according to your customs, can be a time-consuming task, but we make sure to get it done. Striking off one less responsibility from your to-do list.
Music & Entertainment:
Did somebody say Music? Strike that too, we ensure to get artists as per your taste, all you would have to do is take a look at our sample artists.
Travel Logistics:
Shuttle services can get overwhelming when you have your big day and guests waiting. But fear not as the Tales of Tradition is well equipped to take care of all your guests. These services provided by us not only let you enjoy your event but also give you the experience of a grand carefree wedding.
