What should people know about marrying a partner of a different culture?

My husband is Puerto Rican, but raised in the continental US, in the South, and I am a white multigenerational Pacific Northwest native. As with any two people in relationships, there are differences in our upbringings, religious backgrounds, personal values, communication styles, and ways of doing things. The biggest difference between a cultural difference and just the average difference between any two people of the same culture, is that it is a bit harder to negotiate in those circumstances. At first, I was silently wondering if it was a cultural thing, and then later, when a cultural difference came up, I felt like it wouldn't be okay to negotiate for what I wanted if it was something related to cultural identity or race. Over time, as we've grown more comfortable, and discussed race and culture in terms of our relationship and negotiation, it has been easier. For example, our biggest difference in the beginning was how much time to spend with family/family boundaries/family communication. That is easily an issue that could come up in any couple. However, with us, there was a strong tie to it being a feature of Latin culture. That became almost a non-issue the longer we were in a relationship, the closer we got, and the more appropriate it felt for us to spend more time with his family. Personally, I have a hard time being persuaded when something isn't logical. To me, doing something a particular way because of cultural values isn't a good enough reason, if they don't match my own values. So focusing on what our common values are, and the goals that come from those values, was very helpful for negotiating those issues. Now that we've been together longer, we find that our biggest difference actually comes from our intra-cultural differences. The fact that we're both American, but he is from the South, and I'm from the Pacific Northwest. These two regions have very different cultural communication styles, and it took a long time for us to discover some of those regional differences, and that those were fueling some of our recurring misunderstandings. The most important thing to know is that there isn't one right way. Both ways are valid, and being able to hear each other out, and acknowledge each other's truth is of the utmost importance.