Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

Multilingual weddings

Anyone have any experience planning, having or attending a multilingual wedding? Many people in my fiancé's family only speak Arabic, my family only speaks English, and many of our friends only speak Spanish. We want to make sure everyone understands enough to feel included and enjoy themselves. Any advice? It seems pretty overwhelming right now.

Thanks!

Re: Multilingual weddings

  • Anyone have any experience planning, having or attending a multilingual wedding? Many people in my fiancé's family only speak Arabic, my family only speaks English, and many of our friends only speak Spanish. We want to make sure everyone understands enough to feel included and enjoy themselves. Any advice? It seems pretty overwhelming right now.

    Thanks!

    I think some of the posters that already answered your question in CC gave you some good advice!
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  • Sorry, this is my first time posting. What's CC?

  • Anyone have any experience planning, having or attending a multilingual wedding? Many people in my fiancé's family only speak Arabic, my family only speaks English, and many of our friends only speak Spanish. We want to make sure everyone understands enough to feel included and enjoy themselves. Any advice? It seems pretty overwhelming right now.

    Thanks!

    I think some of the posters that already answered your question in CC gave you some good advice!
    LOL, that was loro!  Unless this is an AE to prove a point.  And CC is the Chit Chat board.

    OP, check out this discussion.  It wanders around a little bit at first, but eventually addresses your question.


    I believe the general consensus was to do the majority of the ceremony in the B & G's common language, and to offer certain parts in both (vows, for example).  From my own personal experience (attending a wedding, not being in a multilingual relationship) I would try to keep to a common language as much as possible or keep what is said in multiple languages short and sweet.  I don't mind hearing the ceremony in multiple languages, but it kills me when each part takes 15-20 minutes, three different times.  I went to a wedding once where the toasts took 45 minutes because of the language differences (and also the toast was waaaay too long--toasts should be 1-2 min, tops).  


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  • If you're really worried, have programs done in three language explaining what's happening in the ceremony. Then everyone can feel included but you don't have to have interpreters doing everything in three languages.

    It might be nice to have the actual vows interpreted, but the whole ceremony? No way.

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  • Thanks, I was able to glean some useful information out of that discussion. But at first I felt like I was an "old" already at age 26 because I thought "loro" was some internet slang, and when I tried to Google it all I got were parrots and pianos hahaha.

    Then I linked to the discussion and it made more sense... although weird coincidence regarding our specific language situations? o.O

    One idea I've been toying with is uniting our languages/cultures via shared music. There's lots of popular music that's bilingual Spanish/English for example, but the coolest thing is there's a hit Marc Antony song (Vivir mi Vida) that was originally written and performed in Arabic.

    Heck, people might not even notice, but it will give me a warm fuzzy feeling :-)

    Thanks again, everyone!
  • Thanks, I was able to glean some useful information out of that discussion. But at first I felt like I was an "old" already at age 26 because I thought "loro" was some internet slang, and when I tried to Google it all I got were parrots and pianos hahaha.

    Then I linked to the discussion and it made more sense... although weird coincidence regarding our specific language situations? o.O

    One idea I've been toying with is uniting our languages/cultures via shared music. There's lots of popular music that's bilingual Spanish/English for example, but the coolest thing is there's a hit Marc Antony song (Vivir mi Vida) that was originally written and performed in Arabic.

    Heck, people might not even notice, but it will give me a warm fuzzy feeling :-)

    Thanks again, everyone!

    I think the music idea is lovely.  And I am going to ditto amelisha's advice on including information in the programs in each language.  That will also help cut down on explanations during the ceremony.


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  • levioosa said:

    Anyone have any experience planning, having or attending a multilingual wedding? Many people in my fiancé's family only speak Arabic, my family only speaks English, and many of our friends only speak Spanish. We want to make sure everyone understands enough to feel included and enjoy themselves. Any advice? It seems pretty overwhelming right now.

    Thanks!

    I think some of the posters that already answered your question in CC gave you some good advice!
    LOL, that was loro!  Unless this is an AE to prove a point.  And CC is the Chit Chat board.

    OP, check out this discussion.  It wanders around a little bit at first, but eventually addresses your question.


    I believe the general consensus was to do the majority of the ceremony in the B & G's common language, and to offer certain parts in both (vows, for example).  From my own personal experience (attending a wedding, not being in a multilingual relationship) I would try to keep to a common language as much as possible or keep what is said in multiple languages short and sweet.  I don't mind hearing the ceremony in multiple languages, but it kills me when each part takes 15-20 minutes, three different times.  I went to a wedding once where the toasts took 45 minutes because of the language differences (and also the toast was waaaay too long--toasts should be 1-2 min, tops).  
    OOPS! Sorry OP, that's what I get for skimming. So odd that two very similar and specific posts were posted on the same day! Fail on my part
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  • Hi!
    I have the same dilemma. My fiancé's family mostly speaks Vietnamese (they will be majority) and my family speaks Spanish but they understand English more than his family. I will also have guests who only speak English. Programs are a great idea to help with the language barrier. Instead of translating three languages I am just translating Vietnamese to English. For the reception we have an MC who speaks all three languages. I will have music in every language.

    *My fiancé and I are doing parts of our vows in all three languages. I speak intermediate Vietnamese and he speaks some Spanish also. Good Luck!
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    "If you really want something you don’t stop for anyone or anything  until you get it".
  • We had a  German/English wedding. The welcoming was done in english & then quickly in German. The bulk of the cermony was done in English, but the vows were done in both German & English. From what people told me, they thought it was nice that we incorporated it.
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