In China, they are looking to the West to make new wedding traditions.

WSJ: How I Built It: Wedding Site The Knot Straightens Out

Unlike prior generations, contemporary couples aren't afraid to tinker with the order of a ceremony or the wedding traditions that have, in the past, seemed intractable.

CNN: Weddings blend cultures as well as families

"By the time of Edward and Sophie's, and Charles and Camilla's weddings, there was a mingling of old and new royal wedding traditions - televised, but more intimate and less stately occasions, " says Ms Macdonald.

BBC: Royal weddings: A brief history

It made the writer acutely self-conscious of being European-American, a latter-day scion of the Renaissance wedding of Greek and Roman with Judeo-Christians traditions.

NEWYORKER: Old and New

One trick to crafting a meaningful diverse wedding ceremony or reception is to focus on the traditions that each religion or culture has in common, advises Macomb.

CNN: Weddings blend cultures as well as families

Kihnu women thus have become the principal custodians of the cultural traditions embodied in numerous songs, games, dances, wedding ceremonies and handicrafts.

UNESCO: Intangible Cultural Heritage

Finding commonality between traditions can make a ceremony meaningful, but make sure to have someone explain the symbolism to the wedding guests, or most will be in the dark, says Macomb.

CNN: Weddings blend cultures as well as families