I am not trying to add to any volativity of the thread, but perhaps I can offer a bit of my own experience.  My husband and I are different nationalities- completely opposite cultures.  I was afraid to tell my own family about him at the start of our relationship (but before marriage) because of all the misguided stereotypes, and at first, my family was rude and almost condemning, but in the end when they see we love each other and are trying out best, they support us 100%.  On the other hand, my brother in law was basically forced by his parents to get a divorce from his first wife after only a few months almost strictly because of her nationality.  So you can have both ways- I feel the most important thing is the relationship between the man and his family.  If he is weak minded or strong, and able to stand up for what he believes in (which should be you) without fear of consequence.  But, I tend to also agree with the PP- why shame yourself and get married in secret? We got married even though we had to have 3 ceremonies, but I did not feel like we did anything with shame or secrecy.