Tasneem & Imran – Day Two

 

Day two of Tasneem and Imrans traditional Muslim wedding included a Mehndi party. This is a traditional reception style dinner for close friends and family only and is almost as full of customs and ceremonies as the wedding day itself. The candle procession leads the bride to her future family, and traditional gifts of jewelry, beautiful clothes, shoes, and even a gorgeous book of the Quran is given as a gift to the bride to start out her life as a married woman. Then there is of course the stealing of the shoes… which is always so much fun to watch. The women try their best to wait until the groom is distracted and then rush in to try and steal his shoes, only to extort a large sum of money out of him and his family to get them back! This is one of my favorite customs and I think everyone’s face will tell the story of how much fun this is so much better than my words! Tasneems sister  ended up with them, and I’m fairly certain she got a pretty penny from the boys to get them back!

Preparation for this day is almost as involved as the wedding day and Tasneem was absolutely stunning. Her custom made dress was dyed from virgin fabric and each item she wore throughout the wedding festivities was designed especially for her in Pakistan. The craftsmanship of each piece is amazing, and I may have to reconsider what I want to wear on my wedding day because of it! Overall this day was a nice way to prepare for the multitude of traditions full of prayer and ceremony to come the following day. A perfect mild summer night at the Ruffled Feathers Golf Course lent itself to a perfect photo op, and finally let Imran scratch his itchy beard!