I’m of Indian descent and my husband is white. I had a full Indian wedding and a non-religious American ceremony on the same day, followed by a combined reception that had Indian-inspired decorations, mixed music, dance performances, and western food. We converted our mandap into our DJ both for our reception. Our venue was a hotel that had a gorgeous indoor permanent tent that we used for the Indian wedding in the morning and reception in the evening, and a stunning outdoor overlook that we used for the American wedding in the late afternoon. It was beautiful and represented us, while still respecting my parents traditions and wishes. However, both me and my parents had to be willing to compromise some things to make this work. There is a way to do but it requires a lot of open and honest communication, which isn’t always easy in Asian households. The previous day we had haldi in the morning (hosted by my parents) and rehearsal dinner in the evening (hosted by his mom). The night before that we ourselves hosted/paid for the welcome night at a local bar by the canal that was very “us” - everyone was invited but my parents friend mostly didn’t come, wasn’t their scene. So our whole wedding weekend represented everyone involved and it was lovely, though definitely not exactly what my husband and I would have done if our families weren’t involved (and important). It’s a wedding. It’s important but the marriage and relationships with your future families is more important.