Interfaith, inter-community and same-sex weddings

Interfaith weddings

Many couples hold two ceremonies, one in each tradition, or a single blended ceremony with a minister, imam, rabbi or priest from each side, or a civil ceremony with readings. Some religions allow it more easily than others: the Catholic Church allows mixed marriages with permission, and many Jewish rabbis and Muslim scholars place limits on who may marry. In many Muslim-majority countries, the law treats the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man differently from that of a Muslim man to a woman of the book, and conversion may be required, so check current law. In Israel, there is no civil marriage inside the country, so interfaith couples often marry in Cyprus or elsewhere, and the state registers marriages performed abroad.

Inter-caste and inter-ethnic marriages

In India, the Special Marriage Act of 1954 provides a civil route for people of different religions or castes to marry, with a notice period, and the law does not bar inter-caste marriage. Social pressure remains strong in many places, and cases of violence against couples have been reported, so campaigners and some state governments run support schemes. Elsewhere, interethnic and interracial marriage was banned in the United States until the Supreme Court's decision in Loving v. Virginia in 1967, and in South Africa until 1985, and many families still negotiate between two cultures through blended customs.

Same-sex weddings

As of 2026, same-sex marriage is legal in a large and growing number of countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Australia, Taiwan, Switzerland, Mexico, Greece and Thailand, among others, with the route by law or by court ruling. Some countries offer civil unions rather than marriage, and many, including most of Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, do not recognise it, and in some it is a crime. In India the Supreme Court in 2023 declined to create a right to marry, and in Japan courts have criticised the ban while the law has not changed, so check current law because rulings are still evolving.

Making a wedding that fits two worlds

Couples often pick elements from each side: a Hindu fire ritual and a Western exchange of rings, a chuppah and a mandap, a nikah and a first dance. The best approach is to talk to both families early, ask which parts are essential, and explain what each part means to the guests, with a short programme. For same-sex couples, many traditions are being adapted, with both partners walking in, a new vocabulary of the groom and groom or bride and bride, and in some faiths, blessings or rites by welcoming congregations.

Interfaith, inter-community and same-sex weddings around the world

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Traditions to start with

Interfaith marriageMarriage across religions.Same-sex marriageThe legal and cultural picture worldwide.

Also part of it, and being written: Special Marriage Act, 1954 (India's civil marriage law.), Loving v. Virginia (The US ruling on interracial marriage.), Civil union (A legal partnership short of marriage.), Obergefell v. Hodges (The 2015 US ruling.), Intermarriage (Marriage between groups.), Civil marriage (The state wedding.).

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