EAT, PRAY, LOVE
I had the pleasure of working with a beautiful Asian bride recently and her wedding was an amazing, fabulous celebration of tradition and love.
With my partner in beauty crime, hair stylist Lidia Attino, we worked with the stunning Samia on her big day.
And trust me, when you are standing beside a beautiful Asian bride covered head to toe in sparkling jewels, amazing make-up, hair and dress, you don’t half feel like a Plain Jane.
The jewellery is to die for, from her ankle chains to her show-stopping headpiece, and watching the whole look come together is a joy to behold.
Make-up and hair is very specific and it can take about an hour to apply each.
Samia wanted her make-up to be traditional but very sophisticated and Lidia worked her magic on the hair and took charge of the veil setting. We also helped with her jewellery. Asian weddings last for several days and consist of events.
The Mehndi or Henna Ceremony where the bride receives her intricate Mehndi(henna) to her hands and feet by a Henna artist or family member.
This event generally has a fun feel to it, with the girls wearing vivid colours and singing and dancing and is typically held a few days before the wedding ceremony.
On the actual wedding day the bride wears traditional attire of red and gold with a beautiful, but heavy veil.
The bride’s family welcomes the groom’s side to the family. The bride and groom, however, remain separate during the ceremony, with the bride finally joining her husband before family and friends towards the end to eat delicious food and have photos taken. Dancing follows in the evening.
The Walima ceremony (marriage banquet) is the second part of the Islamic wedding and is more informal, with the bride dressing in a colour of her choice.
This is a celebration to symbolise happiness post-marriage. There is lots of traditional dancing and the guests enjoy a relaxing fun day/evening.
Lidia and I were delighted to be invited along as guests by Samia.
We watched the bride’s photoshoot before we were shown to the groom’s ceremony room.
We felt a little under dressed in our work clothes, but we were made to feel so welcome by Samia’s family.
We were treated to the most amazing food and I was stuffed afterwards.
Samia made a grand entrance, looking incredible and joined her new husband, witnessed by their family and friends.
It was a great experience and I was so happy we got to go. Sadly we had to go back to work so we missed the dancing.