There were many parts to the wedding day for Natasha and Noah. The morning was spent at the hair salon and in the hotel suite getting ourselves primped and ready to begin the day. Mid-day was focused on  Natasha’s preparations. The early afternoon was dedicated to the wedding ceremony itself and to wedding photos afterwards. Following the Nikah and related events, the day changed to the ceremonies associated with the reception.  Natasha’s family received Noah and his family and friends, while Noah rode in on a white horse with drums playing and people dancing. The rest of the evening was spent at the reception, eating delicious Indian cuisine, listening to heartfelt speeches from friends and family, dancing, and of course, celebrating the newlyweds.

I will post the wedding day in two parts simply because there was so much going on that day. Besides, the photos of Natasha getting ready are so stunning, I wanted to share more of them with you.

In every wedding, all eyes wait in anticipation to see the bride’s gown. What does it look like? What is the texture? What style did she choose? In an Indian wedding, the gown for the wedding itself is traditionally red. And it’s not just a gown, it’s a full ensemble. As I mentioned in a previous post, Natasha and her mother, Shaheen, traveled to India to have all the dresses made for both Natasha and her bridesmaids. They picked the fabrics, described the designs they wanted, picked out the jewelry. In the end, they returned with some of the most intricate fabrics I have had the opportunity to see, with the most impeccable detailing.

The bridesmaids’ sarees were beautiful, but Natasha’s gowns were beyond stunning. Shes chose “lehenga” style gowns, red for the wedding, and teal for the reception. The gown consisted of a blouse, a floor-length skirt, and a draped fabric called a “dupatta,” which could be worn as a shawl or similar to a veil.

As heavy as the wedding gowns were for Natasha throughout the day (all the fabric, jewels and beading made her heaviest dress over 50 lbs), add her stunning gold heels to the equation, and I admit, I have never been so impressed with a bride’s balancing abilities. Her jewelry consisted of the “maang tikka” (the jewels worn on the forehead), the “chudi” (all the bangles worn on her wrists), the “hathphool” (bracelet connected to a ring), and the dazzling necklace and earring set that was so elaborate it practically molded into a part of her dress. Like I said. She was positively stunning.

The bridesmaids’ sarees were amazing, even if our ensembles were not quite as elaborate. Still, we all felt like princesses for the day. We had a blast getting ready at the salon, and then getting pinned into our sarees at the hotel.

The icing on the cake was getting to help prep Natasha for the day, and especially, for the Nikah ceremony. By the time she reached Noah at the altar, we could see the joy in her eyes.

We were so happy to be a part of the day, and we still had a whole afternoon and evening to come. Little did we know we would get the honor of meeting a special surprise guest! You’ll just have to wait and see who it was!