Traditions from American West?

ELesley

Hi there--

I am getting married this August in Massachusetts, but am originally from Oregon and am looking to incorporate ceremony traditions that represent the American West, pioneers, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions for rituals or for places I could look?

Thanks!

aerinpegadrak

Well, there are dozens of different cultures that occupied the West in the late 1800s, which seems to be the time you're thinking of.  Russian, Chinese, British, Spanish, Native American, freed slave, prospector, missionary...  You're going to have to be a little more specific.  "The American West" isn't some monolithic entity.

ELesley

People in my family were homesteaders in Oregon. I don't know what their ethnic background was, but they came over from Appalachia. Unfortunately, most of my relatives in recent years have not had organized weddings. I'm basically looking for anything that might be representative of the pioneering spirit often associated with the western U.S.

bbyckes

I would suggest starting off with a basic Google search and if that doesn't yield what you're looking for, trekking over to the library and doing some good old-fashioned research.  Good luck!