Love and marriage, L.A.-style

On Saturday I will be a groomsman at what can only be described as a very L.A. wedding: It will feature English and Spanish, rap and marimba, Rick James and Celia Cruz.

The story of Marcel Hall and Karina Vasquez is typical of many young, engaged couples: They met in college, attended the same church and fell in love. What makes it so L.A., besides the fact that they both grew up in Los Angeles, is that Marcel is African American and Karina is a first-generation Guatemalan.

Their union reflects the transformation of many urban Los Angeles communities, where an influx of Latinos into traditionally black neighborhoods has resulted in panaderias next to storefront churches, and restaurants that serve both Latin and soul food. Cities such as Inglewood, Hawthorne and Compton are now more than 40% Latino.

This trend has also created its share of tension, as when Latino and black students skirmished last spring at Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles.

Still, most of these communities survive such changes, and even prosper, by recognizing the values of both Latino and black culture. On a much smaller scale -- there will be only about 150 people there -- Marcel and Karina’s wedding shows one way to strike the delicate balancing act between the two cultures.

The future Mr. and Mrs. Hall say it has taken creativity to incorporate both cultures into their festivities. For the father-daughter dance, Karina will dance a traditional Guatemalan marimba. The groom has requested that his groomsmen move down the aisle to one of his favorite rap songs, while the bridesmaids will enter to a ballad by the Spanish-speaking Italian pop star Laura Pausini.

The wedding will have two emcees, one who will speak Spanish and the other English. The couple also requested that I say grace in both languages. (I have reluctantly accepted. But fair warning: My prayer may be more eloquent in English.)

Yet the couple also has sought out neutral territory -- literally, in that they will be married in Altadena, where neither grew up. The neutrality is evident in other ways as well. On a tight budget, the main entree will be pasta and chicken wings. For their first dance they have chosen “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by the Stylistics, a song they feel both cultures will appreciate. The wedding party, not to mention the guest list, includes people of various races and ethnicities from throughout the segmented city that is Los Angeles.

Every wedding takes a lot of planning. But Marcel and Karina had to do more than the usual preparation. Although they dated for two years, they confess their families took a while to warm up to their relationship. Karina jokingly tells how once-disapproving family members now speak of Marcel as “one of the good ones.” Marcel confides that his mother was not always keen on the relationship, wondering why her son did not choose a suitable black woman.

Yet both have seen their families come around. And they have faith that they will be able to count on the acceptance and support of their families for the rest of their lives.

Right now, though, they just hope their wedding will go smoothly. Me, I am just hoping that my Spanish will be good enough so that I can deliver a half-decent prayer.

Ryan Smith