Incorporating Cultural Celebrations Into Your Wedding Day

One of the most beautiful things about weddings is how deeply personal they can be. While trends come and go, what truly makes a wedding unforgettable is the meaning behind the moments. For many couples, that means weaving elements of their cultural heritage into the celebration—bringing generations together, honoring where they come from, and creating a richer, more layered experience for themselves and their guests.

Chris and Hana are the perfect example of how powerful it can be to include cultural traditions in your wedding day. Their modern celebration had all the elegance and energy of a timeless wedding, but what made it truly unique was their decision to incorporate a paebaek—a traditional Korean wedding ceremony that focuses on honoring family, ancestors, and the joining of two households.

The paebaek typically takes place after the main ceremony and is a private ritual shared with close family. Dressed in traditional Korean hanbok, the couple pays their respects to their elders through deep bows, offers symbolic foods and tea, and receives blessings (and sometimes a few playful tosses of chestnuts and dates to predict how many children they'll have!). It’s an emotional, deeply symbolic experience that connects the past with the future.

Hana absolutely shined in her dress and she didn’t stop at just one wardrobe change. After the traditional ceremony and the paebaek, she wowed everyone again with a second outfit change for the reception. Each look reflected a different part of her identity: modern bride, traditional daughter, party-ready queen. Honestly… we were here for it.

When couples embrace meaningful traditions, whether cultural, spiritual, or family-specific, it elevates the celebration in a way that feels soul-deep. It becomes more than a party—it becomes a story, a legacy, and a bridge between generations. Guests get to witness something sacred, something personal. And couples get to say, “This is who we are.”

Incorporating cultural elements doesn’t have to mean planning an entirely traditional wedding (unless you want it to!). Sometimes it’s a tea ceremony before the ceremony, a traditional dance during the reception, a special blessing from elders, or a wardrobe nod to your roots. You can go as big or as subtle as feels right for you.

What matters most is that it's authentic to you. Your wedding day should reflect your relationship and your story—including the cultures, families, and identities that shaped you.

So whether you're planning a paebaek, a Nigerian money dance, a Jewish horah, or a Celtic handfasting (and yes, we have planned ALL of these), know that these moments are what people will remember. The joy. The meaning. The emotion. And yes, the outfit changes.

If Incorporating Cultural Celebrations Into Your Wedding Day is important to you, it's important to us.

At the end of the day, we love when couples make space for tradition and celebration to meet in the middle. And we’ll always be cheering for more hanboks, more meaningful rituals, and more personal magic on wedding days.

Because love is universal—but the way we celebrate it should be uniquely yours.

Happy Planning, Lovers!

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