Real Weddings: Perfect Arrangements
Ameera Ali Soni and Gibran Husain’s wedding celebrations were spread across two cities and included a function on a cruise boat. The bride shares how they managed all this without breaking the bank.
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7 of 1526170521053804.jpeg THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Soumya Prasad Photography.
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8 of 1524170521053805.jpeg THE GROOM
A chikan kurta from Lucknow was Gibran’s pick for the manjha and mehendi. He chose a bandhgala from Javed’s Design Studio for the sangeet. He wore his own grey brocade sherwani at the nikah. The qalgi on his safa, made of diamonds and rubies, was my nana’s, as were the rubies and diamond buttons on his sherwani. He wore a three-piece suit from Raymonds at the reception.
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9 of 1519170521053804.jpeg THE BRIDE
I wore a yellow chikan gharara by Shetab Kazmi Designs for the Manjha and mehendi. My floral jewellery was gifted by a friend. At the sangeet, I was attired in a lehenga by Farah Khan and had bijlis in my ears. My naani’s bada paincha (similar to a gharara) was my wedding outfit and I accessorised it with traditional jewellery—the tika, jhoomar, and kosha earrings made of pearls and diamonds that she and her family wore at weddings. A farshi gharara designed by Farhat Ansari got my vote for the Lucknow reception.
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10 of 1521170521053805.jpeg “Gibran kept whispering things into my ear to make me laugh for the photographers—and it worked.” —AMEERA
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11 of 1513170521053804.jpeg “I landed at the airport and went directly to the manjha ceremony. It was at this moment it hit me that we are about to get married!” —GIBRAN
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12 of 1520170521053805.jpeg A Piece of Advice
No matter what goes wrong, always remember to enjoy your own wedding. If possible, stay out of the planning—my parents and friends organised everything beautifully!
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13 of 1518170521053805.jpeg Economising Worked
The sangeet was on a cruise boat on the Hooghly and as fancy as that may sound, we saved money because the cost of alcohol was less than what hotels were charging. Many of the traditional items used during the ceremonies, like the chaapa drapes at my mehendi, were recycled from previous family weddings. The cocktail party was held in the lawn of Gibran’s Lucknow home. I wore my nani’s wedding outfit for my nikah and my jewellery was from gifts given by my friends.
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14 of 1516170521053806.jpeg Ferns and Petals
I always wanted a day wedding filled with flowers and that is what the celebrations in Kolkata’s Taj Sonar Bangla were about. The stage for the nikah was made of flowers, ferns, and leaves; there was a motorised flower curtain separating us during the ceremony. The tables had flowers in birdcages and we had chandeliers made of flowers and light pink drapes.
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15 of 1525170521053806.jpeg An ‘Arranged’ Set-up
We were introduced by a common family friend and first spoke to each other on the phone in September 2019. Twenty days later, I knew I wanted to marry him! We fixed a date for February 2020.
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