Fusion weddings are an exciting way to celebrate the blending of two cultures, bringing together meaningful traditions and creating a truly unique celebration. From tea ceremonies and Ketubah signings to traditional dances and colorful decor, we love seeing couples embrace their diverse heritages. As an Austin-based wedding photography and videography team, we’ve been fortunate to partake in multiple fusion weddings where couples combined cultural elements from both sides of their families, honoring their heritages while celebrating their union. Whether you’re planning your own fusion wedding, or simply love learning about other cultures’ wedding traditions, keep reading for details on some of these fun and unique wedding celebrations. 

Chinese and Jewish Fusion Weddings 

Michelle and Adam’s wedding day started as many Chinese wedding days do – with a traditional tea ceremony to celebrate and honor Michelle’s family. However, this wasn’t just a tea ceremony, it also doubled as their Ketubah signing! Combining these two ceremonies was a beautiful start to their fusion Chinese and Jewish wedding day, and a great way to include both sides of their family. 

After the tea ceremony, Michelle changed out of her quipao into her western wedding dress as their team prepared for the Jewish-American wedding ceremony. Michelle and Adam exchanged their vows under a stunning floral chuppah and concluded the ceremony with the breaking of the glass, with nods to Michelle’s culture via utilizing the color red in their florals and decor. 

After we delivered her gallery, Michelle told us, “These pictures brought tears to my eyes! I have scrolled through this album countless times in the past week, and each time I find a new gem. As someone who often doesn’t know what to do in front of the camera, you made us feel so comfortable and natural (and made us look so good!!!!) Thank you thank you thank you for capturing the big and small moments throughout the day, for capturing so authentically the joy between us, our families and our friends. Thanks to you guys we get to relive the best day of our lives over and over again!”

Mexican and Jewish Fusion Weddings 

With such strong cultural ties to their Mexican and Jewish heritages, it made sense that Leah and Ben would incorporate traditions of both throughout their wedding day. They began their wedding day with a Ketubah signing, before heading outdoors for their fusion ceremony where they exchanged vows under a chuppah, followed by an Arras ritual and the breaking of the glass. The decor throughout the day was highly influenced by traditional Mexican design, while Jewish tradition continued onto the dance floor with the Hora. 

One of the major ways that Leah and Ben chose to incorporate their heritages was through food and drink. Cocktail hour kicked off with incredible spicy margaritas and a build-your-own nacho bar while the reception began with the blessing of the challah. Even their desserts were a nod to their family history, offering incredible fresh churros in addition to cake. 

We were delighted when Leah told us, “OMG these are amazing!!!! Thank you so so much for capturing us so perfectly! There’s so much humor and life in all these and we will treasure them forever. Can’t wait to pore over them again and again!!! You guys are incredible!!”

Indian and American Fusion Weddings

Courtney and Akhil chose to have a jam-packed wedding day with both an Indian and Western ceremony. They began the day with the Baraat, which led into their traditional Indian ceremony. With a brief cocktail hour in the middle to change outfits, they moved to the second ceremony location for their Western ceremony (perks of a space with multiple ceremony spots!). During their reception, Courtney and Akhil celebrated both cultures, starting off with a rickshaw entrance and moving into traditional American dance music throughout the night. It was amazing to see how everything came together. After receiving their sneak peeks, Courtney said, “Y’all are seriously the best!!!! It was an epic day!! Your team was so stinking fun and dealt with all of our crazy so well!!”

Planning a Fusion Wedding

Vendor communication is a huge priority here at Carhart Photography. From the moment a couple books us for their wedding day, we are in communication with their planner, making sure everyone is on the same page. About six weeks before their wedding, couples receive our questionnaire regarding any wedding event details and familial expectations so that we can create a detailed photo/video team timeline in conjunction with the primary planner timeline. This gives both our couples and their planner full transparency on how we plan to cover the event(s) and allows them to request any adjustments.

We then offer our couples and their planner a final planning call to go over the timeline, providing numerous touchpoints to ensure that we have a full coverage plan in advance of the wedding weekend. We know how important wedding photos and videos are to our couples and their family, and we want your celebrations to be stress-free with the knowledge that we’re capturing everything. 

Fusion Wedding Photo and Video 

Uniting two cultures in a wedding celebration is incredibly exciting and a great way to show appreciation to your families. And here at Carhart, we know that extends outside of the wedding day itself. Whether you’re including a pre-wedding Mehndi ceremony, a morning tea ceremony, or simply celebrating with two full wedding days, we want to capture everything. We offer our couples custom or full-weekend coverage, depending on your specific needs. Documenting all of the events involved over the course of the weekend is key to telling the full story of the joining of your families, as well as ensuring that both sides of your families receive coverage that they can cherish. 

If you’re planning a fusion wedding weekend near Austin, Texas, we’d love to capture your celebration. Whether it’s a cultural celebration we’ve already worked with or something totally new, we’re always excited to learn more about wedding traditions around the world! Head over to our contact page to tell us all about your big day! 

Vendors: 

Fabi + Chuk:
Planner: Scarlet Rose Events
Venue: The Arlo
Florist: Wild Bunches Floral
DJ: Premier Austin DJs
Mariachi: Mariachi Clasico
Catering: Soho Catering and Consulting
Dessert: Sweet Treets Bakery
Hair & Makeup: Lola Beauty
Rentals: Scarlet Rose Collective, Premiere Events TX
Photo Booth: Homestead Photo Booth Co.
Transportation: Uptown Valet
Officiant: Joseph Flores
Pyrotechnics: Big Dog Pyro

Michelle and Adam:
Venue: Hummingbird House
Planner: Bianca Nichole and Co.
Florist: The Farmer and I
Cake: Michelle’s Patisserie
DJ: Premier Austin DJs
Hair & Makeup: Hannah Zahner Beauty
Caterer: Peached Tortilla
Dress: Anais Anette
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Rings: Calvin’s Jewelry
Groom’s Attire: Generation Tux
Stationery: Minted, Suarez Creative
Ceremony Music: Terra Vista Strings
Gelato: Dolce Neve Gelato 
Rentals: Premiere Events TX

Leah and Ben: 
Planner: Mrs. Planner Weddings 
Venue: The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge 
Florist: Wild Bunches Floral 
Dessert: Upper Crust Austin 
Catering: Verde’s Mexican 
DJ: Dart Collective
Hair & Makeup: Lola Beauty 
Dress: Made With Love Bridal 
Stationery: Green Girl Design Co. 

Courtney and Akhil:
Planner: Bianca Nichole and Co.
Florist: Stems Floral Design
DJ: DJ Cassandra
Hair & Makeup: Adore Makeup Salon
Catering: Soho Catering and Consulting
Dress: Pronovias
Bridesmaids Dresses: Dessy
Shoes: Badgley Mischka, Paul Green
Jewelry: Roth Bros Jewelers, Diamonds Direct, Thorum
Transportation: The Lux Limo
Invitations: Truly Engaging
Programs: 26 Pressed
Live Illustration: Amy Lee Illustration
Phone Booth Guest Book: The Phone Booth ATX
Rickshaw: Rickshaw Rentals
Rentals: Sparks and Co.
Bar: Peak Beverage
Dance Floor Wrap: Evo Grafx