A cultural exchange -- of vows

When Ashokkumar Patel and Sirvart Kassabian entered the ballroom for their wedding reception this month, they followed the beat of their hearts -- and two drummers. There was the barefoot and turbaned dholi, or traditional Indian drummer, who escorted them into the room. And there was the Armenian dance music, which drew both sides of the family onto the floor. While the Patel women swirled around in red, blue and orange saris, the Kassabians danced the night away in pink, red and black evening wear.

Patel, 35, and Kassabian, 31, are now honeymooning in Italy, relaxing after months of high-stress wedding planning. They found that blending high-contrast cultures into an event that simultaneously reflected themselves and respected their families was no easy trick -- but it's one in which a growing number of couples are engaged.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2002 Current Population Survey, 2.9% of the country's 58 million married couples are interracial (up from 1.8% in 1990 and 1.3% in 1980). In many instances, that translates into a confluence of traditions and styles.

Talk to area wedding planners and they'll tell you that the number of cross-cultural couples is on the rise. Randie Pellegrini, executive producer of Cordially Invited, a Beverly Hills event production firm, estimates that 80% of her client couples come from different cultural backgrounds; the couples represent different ethnicities or practice different faiths.

"People want the big movie of the Prince Charming marrying his true love and [living] happily ever after. Sometimes it's just not in the same culture," said Pellegrini, who has coordinated weddings for a wide variety of mixed-ethnicity couples, including Swedish-African American and Jewish-Japanese.

In urban areas such as Los Angeles, the trend is especially apparent. The percentage of U.S.-born interracial couples here is nearly triple the national average, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Here, people from wildly diverse cultures to rub elbows everywhere, from the grocery store to the office, and, sometimes, fall in love and get married. These days, it isn't uncommon for weddings to be officiated by a priest and a rabbi. Receptions might include a mariachi band and a gospel choir. The banquet might offer sushi and hummus.