The Asian Wedding Blog

An Asian wedding is a grand celebration, a collection of events in which family and friends participate with all their heart and happiness… Misha and Zeeshan’s wedding was a perfect example.

The events started with Misha’s Mayun (the yellow ubtan* event). Since it was the start of all the events, it proved to be an extremely emotional function. The bride received blessings from both sets of grandparents as they fed her mithai and applied ubtan to her hands, the bride’s sister cried till her false eyelashes fell off and the family partied till the loud music cut off time (UK: 11PM) then played antakshari till early hours of the morning.

Next was Zeeshan’s Mehndi. This was the start of the competition: who were the better dancers?! The groom’s family had coordinated and elegantly executed a peacock colour scheme, arranged for a live BBQ, Candy Station and Photo Booth. Throughout the week the youngsters practiced their dance routines trying to come up with the best choreography and making sure they did it perfectly. Both sides put in a lot of effort which shone through. Mehndi thaals were decorated in henna patterns using glitter glue, the family made fresh flower gajrey (bracelets) and guests enjoyed indulging in the chocolate fountain. Song choices included a mix of Bollywood, English, Pashto (since the groom was Pathan), Mashups; but the most original idea had to be Glowstick Dandiya! Each side performed a medley dance one after the other and as the dances went on they just got better and better. The event itself was in Kelham Hall, a dome in which the volume from the speakers echoed and the energy in the room was insane!

The wedding day arrived. The National Motorcycle Museum accommodated around 750 people for the grand event with the bride’s male family members all coordinated in black sherwanis and the females wearing their ghararas and sarees representing their urdu speaking heritage. The groom arrived with his band baja wearing his ivory sherwani and kulla – a traditional Pakistani groom’s outfit. Likewise the bride entered the hall with her family to the song Paimona from Coke Studio Pakistan. It was magical. She wore a shocking pink farshi gharara with a mix of emerald and sea green. Quite different isn’t it? Misha had decided she wanted to look like how her mother did on her own wedding day. Her mother also wore shocking pink and emerald green so Misha made sure her outfit was the exact same colour. The bride looked radiant, which is interesting since the name Misha means radiance. Shahnaz Yaqub did her hair, makeup and dupatta setting. I’m sure you’ll agree she did a great job!

*A yellow paste made from turmeric, rose water, gram flour and milk used to help beautify the skin and give it a natural glow.

Photography Credit: Dustan Studio Wedding Photography