One of my good friends from High School invited her group of friends to her brother’s wedding at the Oncenter in Syracuse. It was an amazing cultural experience and it was so much fun! I’m so happy and honored to have been a part of it. That being said, there were many differences between a traditional Muslim wedding and a traditional Western wedding, and it was so interesting to learn about the differences between our two cultures.
1. Wait, HOW many days is it?
Many Muslim weddings include a series of events on multiple days. However, since the first part of this particular wedding was in Seattle, my friends and I only attended the last two days of the wedding; the Mehndi and the Walima.
2. There is so much work involved in weddings!
I had never really been part of wedding preparations before! Because we were always over at my friend’s house to learn choreography for the dances we were performing, we were right in the whirlwind of decorating and preparing! We helped our friend decorate her house and even got to create trays for the Mehndi! It was so cool seeing our creations being used in the wedding!
3. I can’t move my body like that.
One of the reasons my friend invited us to her brother’s wedding was so we could dance with her! At the Mehndi, there were many choreographed dances. We all practiced nonstop in the week leading up to the wedding! When my friend showed us the videos of the routines, I was terrified because they were all such good dancers!
4. This is the most colorful wedding I’ve ever seen. When we walked into the Oncenter for the Mehndi, I was blown away by how beautiful everything was. All the colors were so rich and vibrant. The decorations and people were all so brightly dressed. It was a far cry from our traditional Western weddings, where the bride wears white and the groom wears black!
5. These are the most beautiful clothes I’ve ever worn. My friend gave all of her friends involved in the wedding clothes to borrow. Whenever I saw her pictures from other special events she had been to, her gorgeous Pakistani clothes left me in awe. I was so excited to wear them; they’re basically wearable art.
6. Ohmygod, I’m so nervous.
When it came time for our group to perform the dances we had learned, I was so scared. Everyone else who had danced before us had done so well, and all of the wedding guests were circled around the stage watching us.
7. I feel so welcomed.
After we danced, all of the guests went out of their way to let us know how well we had done! No matter where we were, there were people smiling at us and chatting with us. It was amazing to get to know so many friendly new people and learn more about their culture.
8. This is my kind of food.
Because all the food at the wedding had to be halal, there was no pork or beef served. The only meat was lamb and chicken. Also, much of the food was quite spicy, as a lot of Middle-Eastern food is. Everything was absolutely delicious, including the beautiful desserts!
9. Wow, these people can dance.
On both of the days I was there, the majority of the time people were out on the dance floor. They danced for HOURS, and they all moved so gracefully. I had to sit down to take breaks, but they went non-stop!
10. That was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Even though I was exhausted after the wedding, I was so sad to leave and say goodbye to everyone, including all the great new people I had met! It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience that I’m so grateful I was able to play a role in! HUGE thank you to the Sheikh family for making it all happen, and big congratulations to Ahmed and Nabiha, you make a stunning couple.