First and foremost, a wedding is a celebration of love.

Love truly is a mysterious thing. It brings people together who often come from completely different backgrounds. Yet, love is able to overcome all those differences, often against all odds. It transcends borders, bridges cultural divides, and beautifully connects two families, even if they don’t speak the same language.

When it comes to planning an international wedding ceremony, all of this comes together in one place. But despite the undeniable beauty of blending two cultures, it also brings a unique set of challenges.

How do you conduct a bilingual wedding ceremony without losing part of your audience? How do you incorporate another language without getting lost in translation or losing the spark of the moment? In which language should the ceremony actually be held? And how can you ensure that no one feels left out?

As an experienced bilingual wedding celebrant in the Rhein-Main area, I have already had the privilege of celebrating many weddings, either entirely in English or bilingually in English and German. Over the years, I have learned that a multilingual wedding ceremony is so much more than just translating words from one language to another. Rather, it is about finding ways to connect people, honouring different backgrounds, and creating a meaningful moment that everyone can share. Sometimes, a small gesture is all it takes to make that happen. "Won't it take twice as long?" – Timing a Bilingual Wedding You might be asking yourself, ‘Won't the ceremony take twice as long?’ Not necessarily. A bilingual wedding shouldn't feel like a tedious conference call. The aim is not to repeat everything twice, but to create a ceremony that flows naturally. By dividing the story, readings, and rituals between both languages, the ceremony remains one cohesive story rather than two placed next to each other. How to Include International Guests with Small Gestures You don’t even need to conduct an entire ceremony in another language to make someone feel included; sometimes, just a few sentences are enough. Even during ceremonies held entirely in German, I love surprising guests who have travelled from abroad.

Couples usually send me short WhatsApp voice messages to help me practise, so I can welcome guests who don't speak German. Over the years, I have done this in Polish, Turkish, Romanian, Russian, Hebrew, French, Persian, and Spanish. It’s always so much fun because nobody expects it. For me, this is one of the simplest and most beautiful ways to make an international wedding feel truly inclusive. After all, that is the goal, isn't it?

Imagine sitting at a wedding, understanding very little of the language. Then, suddenly, the celebrant addresses you in your mother tongue. Usually, the guests instantly look up and smile. It may only be a few short words, but the message is incredibly powerful: “You’re welcome here.”

Claudia and Barry described their ceremony at Kloster Eberbach exactly like this:

A Real Multicultural Wedding at Jagdschloss Kranichstein Earlier this year, I conducted a special wedding ceremony for Sabrina and Diego at Hotel Jagdschloss Kranichstein. What made this wedding so unique was that three different languages came into play: German, English, and Spanish.

Sabrina and Diego had been searching for a long time for a bilingual wedding celebrant who could conduct the wedding in German and Spanish, but their search had come up empty. Diego speaks very little German, but is fluent in English. On top of that, around half of the guests travelled from Spain; some spoke English, but not all of them. Out of frustration from not finding anyone, they had almost given up and considered doing the entire ceremony in German. That is when I suggested a German-English ceremony. But I wanted to go one step further and said, “Let’s work some Spanish into it as well!”

So I began to work some Spanish parts into my speech, including the welcoming of the guests and several other passages. A friend helped me with the pronunciation, and I practised the words carefully. Was my Spanish perfect? Certainly not. But perfection was never the point. The point was that Diego and all of his Spanish-speaking guests could follow the ceremony, so that everyone felt truly included.

However, there was one thing I didn't feel confident enough to do: read a longer passage in Spanish myself. But rather than leaving it out, I had an idea shortly before the ceremony. I asked Diego's father whether he would be willing to read the passage in Spanish. He agreed. And that became one of the most personal moments of the ceremony.

It wasn't simply a text being read in another language. It was Diego's father speaking in his own language, taking an active part in his son’s wedding ceremony and sharing something profound with the couple and their families. The wedding vows were also exchanged in both German and Spanish. All three languages came into play during the ceremony, and somehow, it all came together.

Afterwards, Sabrina and Diego sent me the following message:

Their words mean a lot to me. This ceremony reminded me that bringing people together sometimes means finding a solution that nobody had initially imagined. It might mean learning a few words in another language. Or asking a family member to become part of the ceremony in an unexpected way. That's what makes a wedding truly personal. Finding Your Approach There is no universal rule and no need to translate everything. The right approach is simply the one that feels authentic to you. Together, we can find a solution that respects your wishes and makes all your guests feel truly being part of the moment. As Dabasish Mridha once said:

Are you planning a German-English wedding, an English-speaking wedding in Germany, or a ceremony that brings together several languages and cultures?

I'd love to hear your story.

Yours, Marcel

Available for international, English, and German-English weddings in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt, the Rhein-Main area, or your chosen destination.