Their eyes met in a crowded ER . . .
A REAL-LIFE Grey’s Anatomy story played out at Johannesburg’s Helen Joseph Hospital when medical intern Taimeia Hussain and Dr Naadir Bismilla met on a busy afternoon in the emergency room in August last year.
Pakistani national Taimeia, 25, spotted a dashing young doctor in the orthopaedic department. Naadir, 30, is a trainee orthopaedic surgeon.
Their eyes met. As Taimeia’s senior, Naadir asked her to do work for him — his excuse to get to know Taimeia, which she found very sweet.
Coming from very traditional backgrounds, the couple went old-school with a formal proposal in February with boy’s family meeting that of the girl. Taimeia described the meeting as very Bollywood. Naadir’s family travelled from their home in Inchanga, outside Pietermaritzburg, to meet Taimeia’s family at their home in Saxonwold, Johannesburg.
The couple knew they had to find a big venue to accommodate their extended families.
“A Pakistani wedding is not a wedding unless everyone is there,” said Taimeia.
The two-day affair, on June 15 and 16, took place at Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg and Image Lifestyle Centre in Fordsburg.
Family members were part of their preparations, first by helping to make invitations for the 300 guests who witnessed the traditional Muslim wedding and the 200 who attended the reception. The invitations for both days were made to match their colour schemes — purple and turquoise for day one and plum and chocolate for day two.
“I wish I could say it was me or even Naadir who took charge of all the planning. The truth is, since we were both so busy and had just three months to organise the wedding, we handed over the reins to our parents.
“We were very spoilt. It was only decisions such as the colour scheme, décor ideas and some menu items that were made in consultation with Naadir and me. We had given our parents carte blanche to go ahead and plan our special day,” said Taimeia.
Two days before the wedding, it was time for Taimeia to pamper herself. “I had to be scrubbed, waxed, tweezed and painted,” she said.
The night before the wedding about 100 women folk from both families gathered to witness the henna being applied on Taimeia as well as take part in the festivities. The women also had henna applied, sang songs, ate sweetmeats and made merry until late in the night.
When the wedding day dawned, Taimeia said, her favourite moment was when she got a glimpse of Naadir for the first time. He was dressed in traditional Pakistani attire — a cream sherwani with a red turban.
For the ceremony, Taimeia wore a purple and turquoise lengha with silver thread embroidery.
The venue was draped in whites, with parkland lights shining purple and turquoise beams on the walls. The same look and feel were carried to the stage, which was decked in white, purple and turquoise, with fairy lights and bouquets matching the colour scheme.
The guests were treated to creamy chicken soup for starters. This was followed by lamb karai, masala chicken roast and a lentil curry. The buffet dessert included puddings, cakes and ice cream.
To end off the day on a sweet note, the couple cut into a two-tier wedding cake that had red velvet at the bottom and chocolate on top. The cake was lined with rolled white chocolate. Fresh flowers decorated the top.
The following day, the couple arrived for the walima (reception) as husband and wife. Taimeia was dressed in a bright red dress covered in gold embroidery and Naadir wore a slim-cut black suit, black shirt and a red tie.
The couple honeymooned in Amsterdam and Paris and
have settled in Saxonwold.
“He has an easy-going and friendly nature and this makes him popular. He can be chatty with complete strangers. He is a born sportsman with a passion for cricket. He is competitive
“I felt like I was the luckiest man alive. She looked breathtaking and I was at a complete loss for words. She carried herself like royalty.” “I thought he looked like an Indian prince. He put Bollywood to shame in his smart sherwani and turban. He looked positively regal.”