Abby Connolly
Sometimes it can be really difficult to enter a relationship with someone who has a very different cultural background from you and your family.
One man recently upset his brother and future sister-in-law after encouraging his parents not to get them an expensive traditional wedding gift because his sister-in-law doesn’t respect his family’s culture.
He is Asian and has a brother. Coincidentally, he and his brother are both dating women who have reacted very differently to their family’s cultural background.
His girlfriend is very open-minded and loves to try out and experience what his culture offers, from food to music. Even if she doesn’t like something, his girlfriend is respectful and still likes to learn about his heritage.
On the other hand, his brother’s fiancée has always been more disrespectful about their family’s culture.
“She rarely comes to family dinners because she doesn’t like the smell of our food,” he explained.
“She doesn’t join in our celebrations because it’s so different. For example, the Lunar New Year is a huge celebration for us, and she calls it a fake new year we made up just to party.”
When his brother and his fiancée recently got engaged, she expressed that she didn’t want any of their cultural traditions in their wedding ceremony. Her attitude was so poor that his parents almost refused to attend the wedding, and they had to all have a big sit-down conversation to get on better terms.
During their family conversation, he defended his brother and told his parents they should all stay out of the wedding planning process.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
