How to Organize a Perfect Multicultural Wedding in Poland?
Ornamented limousines and carriages with engaged couples going to church or a civil office is a common site on Saturdays. Traveling with smiles on their faces while holding hands in their wedding outfits.
Only they know how much effort and expense went into the preparations for their beautiful day. Magazines that specialize in weddings are widely available. They provide a wide array of advice for this special occasion giving counseling on formalities and presenting indispensable forums on which couples can find expert information, as well as sharing experiences from those who had already made it a reality.
If your partner comes from a foreign country you need additional documents. A foreigner must present a valid passport; a certified copy of their birth certificate; as well as a document stating that, according to law in their native country, they can enter into a marriage; or a document stating acceptance by the Polish Family Court to enter into a marriage. “At least half of Aspire clients consist of mixed couples, usually a Polish woman and a foreigner.
Dissimilarities in organizing a wedding for foreigners or couples that are of different nationalities are vividly seen at every step of the preparation. For couples that are made up of people from different religions or civic backgrounds, one has to ensure all necessary documents and formalities are prepared in accordance with legal standards bestowed by the Church and Civil Authority,” explains Katarzyna Gajek, managing director of the wedding planning agency Aspire (www.aspire.pl). “When organizing a ceremony for foreigners or mixed couples, one has to take into account differences in cultures, traditions, and even religions. It is in good form to organize two-cultural celebrations, which climate draws on elements from both traditions. One cannot forget about translators who should be present at the wedding party - the ceremony must be held in both languages.
At times foreign wedding traditions regulate which elements are necessary, and even in which order they should be held. During multicultural weddings, often an element is present that is not a Polish tradition, for example, traditional speeches that are given by witnesses of the young couple. Also important are the toast rituals and the order in which they’re made by parents, parents-in-laws, etc. One must make thoughtful research on the traditions of a given culture in order not to make any faux pas. When organizing weddings and wedding parties in which a group of foreigners will take part in, we do our best to ease and diversify their stay in Poland.
We begin by making the invitations in both languages. On them, we often add information about an Internet site where we create a list of wedding guests. On the web page there are suggested places to visit, places connected with the ceremony, possibilities for transport, basic information about the country, its historic sites, history, prices, currency and important telephone numbers, etc. Such a web page greatly eases com-in both languages. At times foreign wedding traditions regulate which elements are necessary, and even in which order they should be held. During multicultural weddings, often there is an element that is not a Polish tradition, for example, traditional speeches that are given by witnesses of the young couple. Also important are the toast rituals and the order in which they’re made by parents, parents-in-laws, etc. One must make thoughtful research on the traditions of a given culture in order not to make any faux pas.
“When we plan a limousine, room decor, flowers to dress up the Church, invitation design, and etc., it’s also time to think about you. We can ease this work, depending on your stylist’s opinion, who will help and give us advice. Fairly new are the empire type gowns, draped below the breast line, quite simple without fixed constructions and made from soft ethereal materials. Also available are classical “fairy tale” type gowns made from taffeta, satin, organdy – richly decorated with shining crystals with many frills often showing off legs at the front. A third type of a popular gown are Spanish type gowns made from lace, closely fitted to the woman’s figure with extension at the bottom – so-called “fish.” White color in all its shades and ecru dominates, but a popular element is black. Women who are looking for uniqueness often use the services of a fashion designer, who can create a unique design especially for them – Aspire wedding planner agency cooperate with famous Polish designer Natalia Jaroszewska and propose her wedding line.
Not only the outfits but also the organization of the entire event can be given to a company that will manage everything. “People in Poland have less time but a bit more money than a couple of years ago. Using a wedding consultant’s services they not only save time but also have a greater warranty that the final effect will meet their expectations. At Aspire we have a database of checked subcontractors and locations, so the risk of mistakes when selecting them is greatly reuced. Aspire has been in operation since 2005 and is one of the pioneering agencies of this type in Poland, There have been more than 120 wedding organized from A to Z by Aspire for the last 4 years. ” says Katarzyna Gajek.
The role of a wedding planner depends on the clients’ individual needs. “Most often we take care of the entire preparations: finding a location for the wedding ceremony and party, selecting subcontractors to fulfill formalities, making overnight stay reservations, organizing transport, preparing a list of attractions, production of invitations, managing the guest and present list, preparing the script for the ceremony, and the co-ordination of all activities. During the event our clients have at least two wedding consultants at their disposal, who are responsible for conducting all activities, from enforcing agreements with subcontractors to supervising implemented preparations.” In Poland traditional solutions still dominate, but from time to time we have a wedding which departs from that standard. “Preferences are still weddings that are not held in a Church or in a Civil Office, but in gardens or palaces. Clients search for originality, for example, in a wedding menu or in their music selection. It has happened that clients began their ceremonies to music from the film Mission Impossible, so then we play The Final Countdown instead of classical Vivaldi or Shubert,” shares the managing director of Aspire.
Aspire also has their representatives in Paris because these days more couples decide to wed outside of Poland. “Currently we are preparing a wedding ceremony in Paris. Celebrations are not coordinated from a Polish office. Instead our Paris consultant takes care of organizing all elements of the ceremony, thanks to which preparations at every level are carefully checked. It’s important to underline that Aspire team speaks English and French fluently in order to organize perfect multicultural weddings. It helps us also to organize city tours, wedding web pages, and wedding mass booklets in foreign languages.
Also there, to offer clients the highest quality of service, we decided to become a member of French Wedding Consultancy Society and although the entry into this prestigious group was not easy, we were able to achieve it. Now we can draw upon subcontractors and cooperate with companies tested and referenced by the Society. These firms have the desired notoriety and trustworthiness of consultants all over France. This surely gives our clients a greater sense of security,” adds Katarzyna Gajek.
This also prove that we had a great experience in multicultural weddings, the experience we want to share with you.