The Bridesmaid's Guide

IN PROGRESS: Three Hundred Dollar Wedding: My Own Civil Service

2009-07-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

THE THEME: Midsummer's Night Dream

THE DATE: Wednesday, September 9th 2009 (NOTE TO SELF: it will still be Ramadaan so Magraib will be 7:40 P.M [that's when we'll eat])
THE VENUE: My Aunt and Uncle's 6 acre property, including the lawns, the forest, and the orchard. THE DRESS: vintage caftan (more photos to come after the event) that cost me 12 dollars. It is a delicate peach shade, generously bisht-cut, with a floral pattern woven in the fabric design, very fine thread embroidery at the neck and hem. I feel like a princess in it. THE GROOM: black tuxedo suit (he already owns), dress socks, and a crystal boutonniere.
THE CAKE: strawberry shortcake decorated with strawberries, served on a vintage ceramic cake stand, with raspberry sorbet and vanilla icecream served as a side in vintage teacups... I am thinking to make my own cake copper out of gold-coloured wire, swaroski crystals, pastel coloured feather butterflies, and pearls, but if I give up on that idea due to time contraints, our cake topper will be the bride and groom's mongrammed initials. If using the initials, we will add sparklers, lol.
THE RING: vintage ruby (not from Burma). Worn with henna:P
LA VOILLE: I will be wearing a vintage hat covered in dupoine cream silk with an attached toffee-coloured tulle handbeaded veil. I will wear a pale pinkish-peach hijab and attached the bridal veil with Victorian hat pins that I've always had but have NO IDEA where they've come from.
THE GUESTS: will be a small party of family and close friends. They will wear what they want, so I made these collages just for fun:p I'll have about 30 people, including children. The only point of a big wedding for me would be an excuse to feed the poor en masse. I don't like them otherwise, a tonne of people you don't really know and some you don't really like but you have to invite in order to invite someone else. LOL, sooooo NOT my style.

THE TABLE SETTING: The goal is to transform some very plain picnic tables with table cloths in peach, vases of hydrangeas, and green and copper glass votive candle holders, into something casual but luxe. The mixed china (very mixed, chipped, and famial) will make is casual. Rose petals from the gardens will be carpet under our feet. Paper streamers will hang from the trees in the orchard, tickling our faces, but not long enough to lick the food. For us, the wine will be Vimto (which is a non-alchoholic Saudi celebatory beverage that looks like red wine) : The lay-out will be very family comfy casual only with more polish, inshaAllah. Because my way of dealing with people is casual, but I like to have everything around me look beautiful and elegant. That's just me. AND.. I like the idea of using an old persian rug outside under the table. Y and I have the perfect one. Ribbon back chairs? Those'd be perfect for dressing up the folding chairs we'll undoubtably have to use. I wonder if my dad would let me spray paint them????:D So much still to do!WEDDING SHOES: it is traditional in my family for the bride to wear green satin evening slippers on her wedding night (Danaan-Sidhe lol) but I think this might be a pagan tradition so I am uncertain whether of not to go for it. I might end up wearing blue shoe sinstead of green, but I like coloured shoes with a wedding dress. That's just me.

DECORATIONS: other decorations include paper heart garlands, white christmas lights, pink paper lanterns, paper streamers, natural foliage... and not nearly so many chairs as the last pic:D

Rainbow Wedding: Inspiration Board

2009-07-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

This post was inspired by Majda's [lol]crazy wedding scheme http://majda-says.blogspot.com/2009/03/majdas-wedding-itinerary.html. Though not really. That scary prom dress of Majda's (softened up):For Majda, that scary Prom Dress lol (re-done Pixie), or I'd wear a plain white wedding dress of a modest cut, with a plain white shayla and this scarf http://www.tillys.com/tillys/variants.aspx?cid=1100&ctlg=020_Girls&prod=150569951&source=15&aref=cj&network=CJ&affiliates=2687457 for $7.99 USD, woven in for a for a chique look to go with your funky rainbow makeup:

Yeah, there's tonnes of vids so I'm not gonna post them all. The make-up, of course, goes with the accessories:

Of course, since giving an engagement ring or wedding ring isn't an Islamic custom really (we have a maher and it CAN consist of jewelry but not exclusively) lol, we can have a fake one (I do--I don't like diamonds myself). Costume ring from http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=whatsnew_acc&product_id=1062396278&cookie_test=1

for $4.80 USD. And this real gem stone ring from http://www.best4jewels.co.uk/blog/2-carat-rainbow-sapphire-and-diamond-ring-18k-white-gold.html .

For your location, some long swags of rainbow fabric hung from the ceiling, and balloons, and different coloured place settings.

And you can have your fabulous bestest best girl in rainbow outfits. Remember, ROYGBIB (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo [yeah, can you tell I was bad at science].

The cake should be something suitably free-for all, like rainbow cupcakes, or different flavoured petit fours.

The Mod Nikah

2009-07-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

The Bride wore her black abaya (of course) over a pretty sleek white column. The groom wore a black kufi, and black button up shirt. He DID NOT pair it with tight jeans.

The basement of the Masjid (that storage space for all our classroom stuff) ect., is transformed into two sections, one for the male guests, and one for the female guests, and instead of flower girls, we have the masjid girls with baskets full of scarves, helping the non-muslim ladies put them on.
Afterwards, you can do what you want:D [but halal of course]

I GET TO PICK OUT MY WEDDING CAKE ON FRIDAY!

2009-07-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Going to the local pattiserie to find out the price on my dream wedding cake, part petit-four, part strawberry shortcake. Yay Pattiserie Daniel!!!!

Marie Antionette themed wedding: the guestbook

2009-07-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Use an ostrich feather trimmed pen for the guest book!

Gorgeous Green Bride

2009-07-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

MashaAllah, what a pretty colour---the colour of jannah!

What a cute decorating idea for a ceiling!

2009-07-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

BEAUTY VIDEO: How to draw with henna

2009-07-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

U.K Bridal Makeup Video Tuturial

2009-07-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

Western Bridal make-up is perfect for the modest bride, as it is all about a natural look with some definition.

Bridal Hijab: Turkish Wedding Dresses by Bala Couture

2009-07-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Bala Couture http://www.balacouture.com/tr/index.html is a turkish designer brand specializing in special occasion and bridal dresses for the hijabi and non-hijabi woman.This one pictured below reminds me of my mother's seventies wedding dress:

And this one is actually my favourite from all the collections because it is sweet and simple:

Marie Antionette Themed Wedding: invitations or menu idea

2009-07-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Cheap chic bride that you are, you can print your own menus and invites off on coloured paper (from Office Depot or a crafts store) at home----all you do is is glue gun a coloured feather on the top and then glue gun a pretty ribbon bow over top. Insta-girlie glam.

Madiha's Bridal Hijab Style: VIDEO

2009-07-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Bridesmaid's Guide to Beauty: curling the hair without heat

2009-07-04T15:02:00.001-07:00

We all know about hijab hair, so if your girl is going away right after her nikah or walima with her groom, you've gotta know how to get your bride into shape for that. My favourite way to do that is with ribbon or paper strips... Watch this vid to see how

IN PROGRESS: the Guests

2009-07-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

The first picture of the candy-pink abaya is available here http://www.arabiannites.co.uk/eveningwear/7233_7240.html. The second picture of the feathered white Islamic outfit is designed by Turkish designer Muhterem Cen . The third abaya in a bronze mettalic shade was designed by Lebaas.

Marie Antionette Themed Wedding Cakes

2009-07-04T13:12:00.001-07:00

What I love about this cake, is you could get practically any bakery to whip you up a three tiered blue-iced creations and then you could supply the rose/feather topper yourself. If in the United Kingdom this cake comes from http://www.cakefool.co.uk/index.php . This is a little beyond your average Grocery Store bakery's abilities but if you have a serrious sweet tooth---it might be worth the investment:D. Marie Antionette themed wedding cake from San Francisco's http://www.cakecoquette.com/
And this towering creation, perfect for a rock-star princess http://www.glassslippergourmet.com/home.html. Very, very dramatic.
And I don't know who this one is by but it'd work for sure. Pic from this site though http://styleguide.com.au/issue2/mary_a.php. It really says for me "Let them eat cake" though M. Antionette never said that though. Quite possibly the most famous misquote in history, it was one of Marie Antionette's husband's Aunts (the Sun King's sisters) where that quote came from, not the ill-befated Dauphine. The young Dauphine and future Queen of France, actually had alot more compassion for the poor than that, though less knowledge of them. LOL, that's what one learns when they hang out with Aalia too much:D

Marie Antionette Wedding: Inspiration Board

2009-07-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

This one is for my girl Aalia, lol, if I ever had to plan her a fun and funky walima that her non-muslim family members could come to. She loves everything historical (like "the other Boelyn Girl", "Elizabeth", and "Marie Antionette") and everything pink, so what would be cuter than pretty pink and baby blue pastel pallette with a Marie Antionette theme? Believe it or not, very easy and inexpensive to pull off. Pink fans for the guests, a visit to the pattiserie for sweet bon-bons, feathers to go on top of a cake, lots of roses spilling out from vintage ceramics (puchased by moi on a used-store crawl---Aalia is not too proud---she wouldn't mind as she loves her history). I would make a palm tree centerpeices out of pink ostrich feathers and tie the forks and knives in the table settings with blue ribbon. It would be very very pretty.

Types of Bouquets

2009-07-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

So my mother was a florist. So I grew up around flowers and weddings. Often my mother would end up doing things other than roses for a bride, so I learnt a little bit of how to come up with creative solutions in emergancies. It transferred beyond event planning of course, but began with flowers and venues.... :D It isn't really an Islamic thing to have abouquet but some brides like to pose with flowers because flowers ARE pretty, so here is a quick guide to the types of bouquets http://yourweddingbouquet.blogspot.com/2009/06/pictorial-picture-guide-to-types-of.html. Key is to keep in mind your dress, your venue, and your personality (as well as budget:D).

Real Wedding #1: The Nikah

2009-07-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

MashaAllah (all praise be to God) what a beautiful Bride!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can tell they are in love....
May Allah grant them happiness, ameen.

Long Sleeved Wedding Dresses: the almost white abaya solution

2009-07-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for long sleeved wedding dresses/ wedding appropriate white abayas, for either your nikah or walima, church service, or simple wedding recepetion/service, this Christian site has a few gorgeous options you can order from http://www.latterdaybride.com/temple-dresses.php?pg=1&style=22.

Who is the "Modest Bride"?

2009-07-02T20:44:00.001-07:00

The Modest Bride is precious. She is a diamond, a pearl... She knows that the most beautiful and precious and valued resources in this world are always protected. Whether they are diamonds or rubies or emeralds lain deep in the earth by a power and force greater than her own or any other... Or a single precious pearl formed in rough, hard, air-tight shell of an oyster below the depths of the waves... She knows that only the most righteous and devoted efforts deserve great reward and treasure... not every lazy hand that reaches or eye that prys.The Modest Bride knows that Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala (God the Most High and Exalted) created Woman as the resource (not a commodity for sale) most greatly desired by Man, and so she dresses to please God, and to bring herself closer to Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala, even on her wedding day. Only the man that promises (before he even touches or sees her) to protect, provide, love, please, and cherish her, deserves to see her in all her glory. So she does not remove her hijab (her veil/covering) on her wedding day, if there are to be men present other than those of her firm relation (her father, her brother/brothers, her Uncle/Uncles, and her grandfathers). These MEN have already earned her trust, and confidence, and she is about to be wed to a man who is prepared to endeavor towards that. Only after this man has promised, both to His Creator, and to valid witnesses concerned for her well being, happiness, and spiritual fulfillment, that he will do so, will he deserve to look at this woman who stands before him. If you’ve ever been to a jewelry store, you know that there are a lot of items on display at a jewelry store. A lot of these rings and necklaces can be worn and tried on by anyone, but there are those real expensive and rare items that are locked away and you have to ask the clerk if you want to try them on. It’s because those jewels are worth a lot more.

Pure White Wedding: Inspiration Board

2009-07-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Traditional and starkly modern at the same time, a pure white pallette is effortlessly elegant. To soften the thick uni-sex atmosphere of the all-white room, an abundance of soft, round, feminine flowers should fill the room. Let the groom play up/emphasize his masculine side by make a grand entrance and/or departure in a rented/or borrowed white Rolls Royce. As classic and modern as your own style.

Blog Focus: The Bridesmaid's Guide for practically everything

2009-07-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

This blog really isn't really just for bridemaids... It is inspiration and practical info for anyone out there planning a wedding/walima and or reception. Its focus is on modest brides (primarily Muslim women who are having mixed weddings where non-maharams are present, as I am Mulim myself, but any woman with a religious or personal prefence for modesty may apply the sources here featured ), and those around them helping to organize her event. InshaAllah (God willing), you will find these pages useful. For any Muslim woman out there planning to have her wedding in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, I am available as a wedding planner, and for any Christian bride, I can be contacted to help you locate modest bridal garments and to help plan decor, venue, ect... for the reception. I do charge for my services though. You can leave your email in the comments section of the blog posts to contact me for my services. As I moderate all comments, you don't have to worry about your personal email being posted. I will then contact you. Please enjoy my blog here, and hope you find something that you like or that you can use!

Note to all the Muslim women out there: these pics are because I love the location and composition of the photographs, not because the dresses are appropriate to be worn in the manner that they are for the hijabi bride!!!! Love you all for the sake of Allah..

-Pixie aka Alixianne