Editor 's note : CNN 's Defining America project is exploring the stories behind the numbers to show how places are changing . This week , get to know more about your neighbors all across the country -- how they live and love , what they believe in and how they came to call themselves Americans . The week will culminate with a Secret Supper in New York City , and Eatocracy invites you to participate online starting Monday July 11th at 6:30 p.m. ( Oprah.com ) -- Because my older sister Tina was marrying a Turkish Muslim instead of a fellow Mormon , the Mormon bishop at the microphone had been instructed not to use religious words in his sermon . `` There is something divine about marriage , '' he stumbled awkwardly . I stood nearby in a red bridesmaid 's dress , looking out at my mother 's pious Mormon relatives and my father 's Mexican relations , among them two aunts who had smuggled in vodka in their water bottles . Across the aisle sat Mustafa 's Turkish family , the women in colorful headscarves . Hungry for food from home ? The night before , at a traditional henna ceremony , my mother and I had locked eyes as Tina 's head and face were covered with a black and gold veil , her hands bound with cloth bags . We 're an open-minded family , but we also saw `` Not Without My Daughter . '' Oprah.com : Ask Deepak : How to reconnect with your family . My siblings and I had nontraditional Mormon childhoods , raised in Spain and London around all kinds of people . On holidays we alternated listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and mariachi music , stories about Jesus visiting America and tales of my aunt Tafoya , who was once possessed . New wave of Turkish wines . But we 'd always been expected to marry within our faith , and live according to its teachings . Instead , I moved to New York to pursue stand-up comedy , and had recently -- with dread over what it would do to my parents -- stopped attending church . Saying ' I do ' in mixed cultures . Tina had always been the `` good '' one . That 's why it was surprising when , at age 29 , she fell in love with Mustafa after meeting him at a Greek restaurant in Boston . Unemployed , Turkish , and Muslim , he was n't exactly a Mormon parent 's dream , but he made her happier than any guy from church ever had . At first she tried to convert him , then decided that as long as he supported her faith , she 'd support his . They were engaged in five months ( my sister 's commitment to a genuine white wedding may have had something to do with the rush ) . Oprah.com : 20 questions to ask before you get married . As Mustafa 's cousin , speaking Turkish , pinned several $ 100 bills to the groom 's tuxedo , my relatives looked on , united in their confusion . And I felt a huge sense of relief . My sister had made an unexpected choice -- and , in the process , proved our family could wrap its arms around more than I 'd ever thought : Mexican-Mormon-Turkish-Muslim nieces and nephews , my dad 's convulsive attempts at traditional Turkish dance , and any other kind of happiness life might send our way . Oprah.com : 10 happiness quotes we love . Elna Baker is the author of the memoir `` The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance . '' Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . Subscribe now ! TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions , Inc. All Rights Reserved .
The author 's sister , a Mormon , is a Turkish woman in a multicultural society . The sisters had always been expected to marry within their families . Her sister finds happiness outside of her family 's expectations .