Well, we’ve reached the end of 2014, and it’s been an interesting one for me, in terms of family related events and photo opportunities, both of which I hope have allowed me to grow in my skills and as a person. I would like to share below my favourite photos from this year, and to also wish you all a happy New Year wherever you are and whatever you decide to do to welcome in 2015. I hope its a happy, healthy adventurous 2015 for all of us
So, I’ve guided you through all the preperations and pre-wedding parties and events that have been leading up to the ‘Big day’, and I can now finally share some of the pictures. The weather was nice and bright and although the wedding was indoors it really helped put everyone in a good mood. The room we hired was set up by the venue and it looked really good. The stage was ready for the bride and groom, tables set for the guests and what I especially loved were large rose balls of vibrant red on the head table
There were other nice touches that we added too (aside from the fruit and sweet tables). My sister picked out her favour boxes which whilst took us ages to put together and then fill with tasty treats, I thought looked elegant and really pretty. There were also welcome drinks for our guests to help themselves to while they socialised
But the thing that really stole the show (apart from the bride of course) was the beatiful wedding cake made my talented sister. She made the cake and the edible lace to go onto it and also made some matching cupcakes to help set the cake off. My sister’s friend made the swirly cupcakes to add to the cake table to help fill it out
My nieces and nephews looked really cute; tuxes for the boys and white flouncy bridesmaids dresses for the girls. (I don’t have great pictures of the girls as they didn’t stand still long enough). The rest of us were smartly dressed too; suits for the men and pastel coloured outfits for the ladies
In South Asian culture the bride traditionally wears red on her wedding day and in keeping with this tradition my sister spent weeks designing her outfit. She decided to make her oufit in a deeper shade of red but to make it look more modern and show some of her personality she added stripes of bright colours at the hem of her skirt and around the edges of her scarf.
On the day, dressed up in her beautiful outfit and made up by the professional makeup artist and hair stylist, my sister looked stunning. I can’t show you pictures of my sister’s face but here’s how her outfit looked with gorgeous accessories
And with her groom, they made for a handsome couple
All the preperations leading up to the wedding were really stressful, but it was worth it, as on the day everything went well and the bride and groom looked happy and seemed to enjoy the day, with everyone else looking like they were having fun too.
I wish them both well amd may they be really happy together and enjoy the adventure that lies ahead of them.
If you’d like to see the really good, professional photographes of the wedding then you can see them on my sister’s blog
For my other posts on my sister’s wedding see the links below:
Bridal shower – Vintage
Bridal shower – 1920s
Henna party
Fruit tables
For my younger sister’s wedding day we thought it would be a nice touch to have a fruit table for the guests. We asked the catering company if they would be able to provide one for us but at a price of £400 (for fruit!) we said thanks, but no thanks! So, me and my older sister decided to have a go ourselves and as me and my sisters are quite a creative anyway
The day before the wedding day, my sister and I went to the local grocers and fruit stalls in our area and brought a whole range of fruits to give us different shapes, colours and sizes for our table.
As my sister’s wedding was an evening affair, my older sister and I got together in the morning of the wedding day and started prepping the fruit. We washed and cut up the fruit to make it easy and ready to eat
We then started placing the prepared fruit neatly in flat plastic trays that would help make the fruit not only look good but also make it easy to transport to the wedding venue.
We added small bunches of grapes and slices of oranges to the cut pieces of watermelon and melon, to add colour and also help fill the gaps.
My sister also had a good idea to make small cups of fuit that people can just take away. We used the leftover bits of watermelon, melons and grapes and added strawberries on top. She did this in a rainbow colour order which I thought looked great.
We had asked the venue to provide us with a couple of extra tables with tablecloths for us to use for our fruit. I got to the venue early and set this up before the guests arrived.
At previous parties and events my sisters have always set up a pretty sweet table for guests to enjoy. They decided they would like to do one for the wedding too to sit alongside the fruit table. In the weeks running up to the wedding we all kept an eye out for any sweets that fit our colour theme; red, gold and white (to match the bride). We then put them in colour blocks in various clear pots we had to make it all look neat when put together. I think the birdcages with the roses threaded through them are an especially nice touch and help bring the whole table together.
I think we did a good job (even if I do say so myself) and I think the bride was happy and the guests enjoyed it too, as most of it was eaten. We learnt that we can use our creative ideas to put together something that is well presented and enjoyed by all, at the fraction of the cost. I’d love to hear what you think of our efforts and if you have any other good ideas.
I’ve been trying to post more frequently but things have been super busy over the last few months with Eid, weddings and birthdays, (not to mention dodgy internet connections which hasn’t helped either!), but hopefully it seems a bit calmer now which means that I can get up to speed with my posts.
I wanted to share more pictures from my younger sister’s wedding that took place a couple of months ago. In Pakistan and other South Asian countries it is tradition for the bride-to-be to decorate her hands and feet with henna/mehndi a couple of nights before the wedding. The design my sister chose was intricate and very delicate and with the steady, skilled hands of the mehndi artist it came out beautifully
These patterns soon became much more complex and full, with henna being applied on both sides of my sisters’ hands and parts of her arms. You can click on the pictures below to view larger images, and close ups, (maybe if you look close enough you’ll find the name of the groom which he is supposed to look for on the night of the wedding).
I didn’t get a chance to have any henna applied to my hands, but a number of the guests did, including my baby niece who had a butterfly pattern applied (and which lasted about 10 minutes before it got smudged).
I think the finished result of my sister’s hennaed hands was beautiful, reminding me of lace gloves with intricate, delicate patterns. My sister kept the henna on until the following morning before washing it off to make sure the dye was as dark as possible, which you will be able to see soon in photos that I am hoping to post of the wedding
So I’m finally allowed to post some pictures of my sister’s wedding and I thought I’d start with the Mendhi/Henna party. The mendhi or henna party is where the women of the bride’s family get together to have one last fun party before the big day. Often the women of the groom’s family are also invited and are asked to bring the henna which is then applied to the bride’s hands in preparation of the wedding day.
The henna party is usually bright and colourful and my sister wanted a peacock themed affair so we spent months looking for anything that would fit the theme.
We decided on purples, blues, greens and golds and added small peacock feathers to really bring out the theme. The candles are lit and the tray of bangles and henna brought in with the bride as she is brought into the party by family and friends.
Me, my sisters and my sister-in-law decided to add a tasty aspect to the party by having a sweet table. I thought the biscuits made by my sister-in-law and the cupcakes by my younger sister were especially pretty
As the evening went on the usual traditions were carried out; feeding the bride something sweet and giving some money to charity in her name, singing traditional wedding folksongs and dancing (unfortunately I can’t show you photos of the singing and dancing)
We all had a really fun time, and the bride enjoyed herself too, with friends and family and being the centre of attention of course! My photos haven’t come out as well as I would have liked as the lighting wasn’t great, but if you want to check out the professional photographer’s photos which have come out really good, then you can head over to my sister’s blog
I love this collection of beads; the various shapes, colours, sizes and textures. Some are prayer beads (tasbeeh) and others make up jewellery but together the colours really work well
You may have wondered where I’ve disappeared to this last week; I haven’t forgotten to post I’ve just been super busy helping with preparations for my younger sister‘s wedding which is coming up fast. In the last couple of weeks my family have been celebrating and having lots of fun with parties and planning for the upcoming event.
My sister-in-law threw a 1920s bridal shower and as we all had fun at the last one we were looking forward to it
The colours to go with the theme were red, white and black and my sister-in-law’s lovely house was the perfect setting
There was also some tasty food to eat; chicken skewers and fruit tarts and my other younger sister brought along a lovely chocolate cake she made
My older sister made a pretty banner to add to the decor and there were also pearls and feathers which looked great. Even the babies wore flapper dresses and puffy dresses that looked cute (my niece pulled the feather out of her hair in this pic)
We played ‘pin the moustach on the groom’ which was fun and I came pretty close to winning but I think the babies enjoyed themselves the most, getting lots of attention and running around together
Next is the Henna (Mehndi) party which will have lots of colour and which we are all really excited about. Pictures coming soon
Wedding season is in full swing at the moment and this year we have a big wedding in our family too; my youngest sister is getting married. To get the ball rolling with the celebrations my older sister decided to throw her a bridal shower, the theme; vintage, which means florals, pearls, pastels and polka dots. We held the bridal shower in the garden so we can enjoy the good weather, the extra space and also have my mum’s pretty flowers to add to the theme.
To add a bit of shade and colour we hung some pretty, flowery scarves from the fences, across the garden and added my sister’s handmade banners. We also added lots of other little touches to make the garden pretty
We each made some food for the day; my older sister made macaroni salad, my younger sister brought along chicken sandwiches and my sister-in-law made a pretty trifle. My contribution was chocolate dipped strawberries, plates of cut summer fruits and old fashioned lemonade which I thought would add a nice touch to a summery party. Our guests also brought along food and other tasty treats to share so we had lots of variety
For fun my sister-in-law arranged a quiz for my sister who is getting married where she asked her fiancé 20 questions and asked my sister to see if she could guess how he answered. For each question she got wrong she had to put to put a piece of chewing gum in her mouth – I think she got about 2 right so she got through several packets!
Overall, it was a lovely bridal shower and everyone was able to enjoy the good weather, food and company. I think it was my baby nieces and cousin though, who stole the show with their pretty smiles and polka dot and flowery dresses, who got away with being cheeky and running off with numerous biscuits and cakes
Next up my sister-in-law is hosting a 1920’s themed party for the bride-to-be which we’re all looking forward to
Today is Eid-al-Fitr so I’d like to wish a happy Eid to everyone who is celebrating the end of Ramadan. I hope you all have a great day with family and friends and enjoy the delicious food. I also pray that people around the world who are in any difficulties are relieved of them soon
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