The Joy of Weddings

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.
- Rita Rudner

There are two occasions that get me really, really excited: weddings and the birth of a baby. I'm even considering to become a wedding planner someday (yes I added that to my list of 50 ambitions, so much to do so little time, sigh). I have a knack for organising events and I enjoy every step of it - guest list, invitation cards, food and beverage, entertainment and decoration, etc. It's a lot of work but always a thrill especially when you see everyone enjoying themselves and loving the work that you've done.

I attended a family friend's wedding last week. Naturally, we were late so we missed the best part of the reception. But anyway here's a breakdown of what a Malay wedding reception usually entails:
1. Large guest list, and I'm talking three to four digits. If you don't invite the entire community and all your relatives, God forbid, someone is going to get offended *drama* It's meant to be a happy family affair!
2. Delicious nasi minyak (flavoured ghee rice) must be served or else it's not a 'real' Malay wedding. If you attend 2 weddings in a day be prepared to eat the same food and gain a pound or two. What can I say, Malaysian food is good food.
3. Men and women sit in the same hall. Dancing usually takes place after most of the guests have left and only when family members remain. Malay weddings are the opposite of Middle Eastern ones where men and women are segregated. If you haven't attended an Arab/ African/ Afghan/ Persian wedding, you my friend, do not know the meaning of partying like a rockstar.... the halal way.
4. The bride and groom will sit on a throne-like bridal couch or chairs (a pelamin) because as newlyweds they're considered as 'King and Queen' for the day. Which is pretty cool, I reckon. Who can say no to being treated like royalty for one day? Unless you're an actual royalty of course.
5. A slideshow consisting of embarassing baby photos and life achievements of the bride and groom will be played. There's no escaping this. This is torture for the newlyweds and sometimes even the guests too.
6. Everyone is dressed to impress even the little ones.
7. Relatives asking when is your turn to get married. Someone once asked me this when I was 17 and I thought, "What on Earth is she talking about?! I'm freakin' 17!"

My brother got married last year and we had one and half months to prepare for it. It was the craziest time of our lives because we had 2 receptions - 1 in my sister in law's hometown and 1 in ours. Alhamdulillah, it all fell into place and the reception was beautiful (refer to the picture on the right for proof that 1 and half months is actually do-able for a wedding preparation!) Needless to say, my family and I crashed for 2 days after that. I remember waking up the day after our side of the reception and didn't know where I was because my surroundings looked different. Turns out I had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room! haha. That reminds me, I'd like to make a quick shout out to the ever so lovely, Hispanic Muslimah, who is currently engaged and busy planning for her upcoming wedding. I wish her all the best in the planning and inshaAllah, it will be a blessed and blissful wedding, everything she has dreamed of and more!

Anyway, I knew I was going to wear a white modern version of a traditional Malay dress with some purple details for last week's wedding but I had no ideas for my make up so I decided to follow one of MakeUpAdikt's tutorials (I just adore her and her British accent). However, I used darker shades of purple because I wanted the colour to stand out a bit more and wore less eyeliner as I wanted the make up to be more subtle for a daytime event. I was really happy with the outcome! MakeUpAdikt a.k.a. Asma is a British Muslim architect who is naturally talented with make up. Not only does she make it seem so easy to look good but it actually IS easy! As long as you choose the right colours and style that will suit your skin tone and personality you can't go wrong with her tutorials. If I can do it, you can too.