A mariachi band playing for Hugo and Jennifer's wedding at Monistero's

Chicagoland is home to over six million people.  Every nationality, race, and religious background is found in the city and its suburbs.  And not just by an occasional individual or family, but by entire communities.  Chicagoland is a microcosm of the nation and by extension the world.

Having been a wedding minister or officiant who has planned weddings  for more than two thousand couples I have had the privilege of working for nearly every ethnicity.  All of Chicagoland's rich diversity has brought their traditions and culture to their wedding ceremonies.

If you or your future spouse have an ethnic identity then by all means proudly show it.  Anu in her beautiful dress at left shows her Indian heritage.  Hugo's Hispanic background is accented by the mariachi players who played so beautifully at his wedding as shown above.  If you or your families speak a second language, then one or both of the readings used during your ceremony should be in that language.  There's no need to provide an interpretation in English- the beauty of the language will speak for itself. 

I've seen audiences treated to readings in Farsi, Italian, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and French just to name a few.  And when vocalists sing in these languages the effect is greater still.

African American couples used the oldest American wedding tradition 'Jumping the Broom,' while couples having a Scottish background entered, and exited, with a bagpiper preceding them.

I hope that you honor yourselves, your families and your heritage by bringing to your ceremony the beautiful accents of word, song, dress and tradition that have made you who you are.