As the world becomes smaller, Indian circles are becoming wider. But even with all the family tolerance and blessings in the world, planning the wedding ceremonies for intermarriages is no, shall we say, piece of cake. Granted, rarely is any wedding easy to arrange. But in particular, intermarriage wedding ceremonies provide ample stage space for the intricate choreography of a bicultural dance, complete with missteps and crushed toes, as well as a lovely fusion of cultural energies. At least three types of intermarriage ceremonies exist.
Some couples decide to have a single, full-on ceremony in one tradition.
When Robert McCarthy married Anita Kachru, a Kashmiri-American, in Urbana, Illinois, the ceremony was Hindu. Robert's mother, Sally, a devout Catholic, said her son hadn't practiced the faith for years. Prior to the wedding, the couple and their parents had met several times to discuss the ceremony and its significance. I was delighted, but not surprised. The hitch went off without a hitch, said Sally, with one minor exception.