by Susan Hanshaw
San Francisco Wedding Officiant
The wedding ceremonies that I am honored to officiate in the San Francisco Bay Area constantly remind me of what a melting pot our country is. Yesterday I performed a ceremony for a couple whose union is a blend of Indian and French-Belgium cultures.
The first part of the couple’s ceremony honored the rituals of the Jain religion. Both sets of parents along with one of the bride and groom’s closest sibling sat under a canopy called a Mandap while the Indian priest led the couple through a number of prayers and symbolic rituals. Once these traditions were complete, I began the ceremony which honored Western traditions, the legal vows and ring exchange. The end result was that both families had the opportunity to participate in their own sacred way while embracing the others’ heritage.
Wedding ceremonies which honor a blend of cultures can be very rich and steeped in meaning. More and more it seems that couples are seeking to blend both heritages within one ceremony rather than holding two separate gatherings. I officiated one ceremony where the Chinese Tea ceremony was held at the end of the Western ceremony. A lion dance graced the end of another. And the breaking of the glass is a natural way to honor the Jewish heritage at the end of a non-denominational ceremony. From my perspective as an officiant, anything goes. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the symbolism of the ritual should be explained to all guests present so that it can be received in an effective way.
