Two times the norm: The Twin Sized Engagement
The first event of #twinsizewedding; the twin engagement was a double dose of everything delightful
Words by By Fathima Abdul Kader Photographs from Various Sources
A guest walks into Zahra’s international convention center on December 18th and was met with a floral vision to behold. The guest’s eyes first fell on the welcome sign- the leaf bordered signs with the names of the brides and grooms, a perfect example of the ‘greenery’ trend that is taking the internet by storm. On the way to the bridal room where the brides were awaiting the grooms and family, the guest saw a sign that said #twinsizewedding with an illustration of two hijab-clad girls, yet another trending wedding detail. The guest made her way to the event with the thought that she is about to witness an engagement party to remember.
Double trouble
The brides, Asna Ayisha and Fasna Fathima hail from Thrissur but is settled in Ras-Al-Khaima,UAE, where their father Ansari Thoppil runs his business. Like most twin wedding stories, both the brides had the fortune to find grooms from the same family. The brides hail from a large family, but theirs was the first twin engagement that many of the guests were attending. The brides reached Kerala, just 12 days short of their engagement and the preparation was a rushed affair. The only brief given to Satkara Celebrations – the event management team behind the engagement was to go for a subtle, but elegant floral theme. Within the restricted time, the engagement was done with as much details as possible; down to the little floral ‘save the date’ card distributed at the end.
All in the details
The brides wore high neck Anarkalis from Frontier Raas, with the same silhouette, but in different color combinations and completed their look with a Kashmiri style Mang tikka, matching potlis and of course, 4-inch high heels. Their makeup was done by the makeup artist Sinin Sathar and their look was completed with bouquets that matched their contrasting dupattas. The grooms, clad in a maroon embroidered jackets, wore little pocket squares that matched their significant other’s outfit to complete the picture. When asked about their favorite details from the engagement, Asna said “I loved the way they made the bridal room and the welcome boards. The hash tag #twinsizewedding was a perfect pick as well. The four bouquets- two for us and two for our little flower girls came out really cute in pictures.”
The moment of truth
The engagement was a smaller event with the couples’ close family, relatives and friends in attendance. As with most traditional Muslim engagements, the brides awaited the arrival of the grooms in a dedicated bridal room, surrounded by their female family and friends. The bridal room had decoration that were reminiscent of moroccan room dividers. The smaller stage in the bridal room was set up with a draped back drop and a love seat for the brides. Once the grooms arrived, everyone moved into the bigger hall, where the brides were adorned with ornaments from the grooms’ mother, sister(s), grandmother and other close female relatives, while the guys were gifted with watches from the brides’ father and male relatives. This was followed by the customary photo sessions, loads of laughter and greetings.
A little something that most don’t know about Muslim engagements is that the bride and groom do not stand together and take pictures until after the official wedding or the Nikkah. So even if there were no fun couple’s shots from the engagement, there were plenty of good times to go around for all those in attendance, double the amount than a usual engagement, to be precise!
