Adding a totem pole to your wedding decor instills a Native American tradition.
Paying tribute to a Native American culture during your wedding reception might bring together two different families into one natural celebration of marriage. Whether using traditional Native American ceremonies or adding cultural touches to an existing color scheme, your wedding can contain an essential part of your heritage. Consider all aspects of wedding planning when choosing a Native American theme and where traditional expressions can be added without overdoing it.
Decoration
When possible, hang handmade dream catchers as a protective symbol over your guests and their seating arrangements. Gain permission from the banquet manager to use tacks, double-sided tape or removable hanging hooks to float the three or four different sized dream catchers as a centerpiece using clear fishing wire. Historically, dream catchers can capture and preserve dreams not unlike the dream of eternal happiness and matrimony shared between the bride and groom. Set Native American pottery on formal tables to keep with the theme.
Cuisine
Correlate efforts with the head chef or catering manager for your wedding to incorporate traditional Native American cuisine presented with a gourmet appeal for your guests. The "three sisters" of food containing corn, beans and squash were historically eaten by Native Americans as well as hunted animals like buffalo. Consider dressing up buffalo steaks as a lesser fat and more nutritious meat option with side dishes consisting of butternut squash puree, steamed corn with roasted red peppers and a three-bean salad.
Wedding Dresses and Accessories
Brides commonly wore handmade dresses adorned with bead work and fringes hanging from the dress bottom and sleeves. Knee-high moccasins were also beaded and both were historically made from animal hides or leather. Speak to any Native American family members as wedding dresses were often passed down from generations before posing as a family heirloom or were constructed by the groom and the male men in his family. A woman's hair was often decorated with feathers or beaded hides shaped as a current headband.
Ceremonies
A water-washing ceremony might be integrated into your wedding to cleanse and purify both the bride and groom of feelings for past loves and washing away evil spirits to begin a new life together. Consider integrating ceremonial readings into the wedding that are common of Native American wedding ceremonies. Use caution because some wedding traditions are distinct to specific tribes and not all readings or ceremonies are necessarily interrelated among all Native Americans.
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