By SETH GIFFORD BLAYLOCK
Not all wedding traditions include cake-cutting ceremonies and car vandalism. Every culture celebrates weddings in different ways.
Take for instance Laura Clarito, 25, a graduate student from Riverton, Wyo., majoring in linguistics. Clarito is married to Nelson Clarito, from the Philippines.
According to Filipino tradition, it is bad luck for the bride to try on her wedding dress before the ceremony.
“He got mad at me because I tried mine on!” Laura said.
The couple explained some more Filipino wedding traditions.
“In the Philippines…all of the (wedding) expenses come from the groom,” Nelson said.
Nelson also said the groom and his parents must visit the parents of the bride to formally propose and set up a nuptial agreement.
Receptions include a ceremony where the newlyweds dance alone. During the dance, friends and relatives pin money of the couple’s clothing. The couple will use this money as they start their married life, Nelson said.
Because of Laura and Nelson’s cultural differences, their own wedding mixed both American and Filipino traditions.
Laura wore a traditional white dress and Nelson wore a barong-tagalog. The barong is a shimmery long-sleeved shirt embroidered with intricate patterns.
The Clarito’s reception also featured a mix of American and Filipino food.
“I have a Filipino friend who said to me, ‘when you get married, don’t you dare just feed people cake–that would be rude.’ So at our wedding we had a meal…a Filipino dish made of chicken and rice…and a cake,” Laura said.
When Joseph Fullmer, 26, a student from Arimo, Idaho majoring in linguistics, married his wife Lucia, of Colombia, their reception included Spanish dancing. Dancing is an important part of Colombian wedding tradition. Lucia also explained other Colombian traditions.
“One thing that is different–in Colombia we wear the wedding ring on the right hand,” Lucia said.
Kira Gulko, 21, a linguistics major from Kiev, Ukraine, is engaged to be married this spring.
Gulko and her fiance plan to hold a reception here in the United Sates, and then fly to the Ukraine where her family will prepare a traditional Ukrainian wedding.
At a traditional Ukrainian wedding, there is only one maid of honor, and no cake, but there is a big dinner, a live band, and a little intrigue.
“During the reception in the evening, someone will steal the bride,” said Gulko. Of course the bride isn’t really kidnapped, but the best man must pay a “ransom” (usually a kind of party trick) for her safe return.
So prospective grooms and brides, if you are not looking forward to standing in a line all night, start a new tradition. Have a dance, eat ethnic food, or play a game of steal-the-bride.
