The Wedding Weekend

Because my husband’s sisters were unable to come (I still had not met two of them at this point), I decided against the traditional bridal party line-up. But, my best friend stood next to me as maid of honor and my hubby’s cousin was best man.

We ended up inviting 150 people to the white dress wedding reception. My husband was somewhat involved, but I did most of the planning myself. Unfortunately, my Mom had fallen ill for several months and was not able to help much.

MashAllah, the weekend was beautiful. Many of our cousins and friends flew in from all over the country and Canada. Everyone was so happy and supportive. LOL, all people on his side knew we were already married, while many guests on my side were clueless!

My hubby’s parents were obviously there, too. My FIL baked my wedding cake!!! It was a beautiful three-tiered fruit and nut cake with marzipan. My MIL crated all of the marzipan flowers and ornamentation with her two hands. Everyone was so amazed that my in-laws would do such a thing; it took days for them to cook and assemble.

The day of the Nikkah, a picture of the Imam who was supposed to marry us was plastered all over the major newspapers and news-stations (he has since been deported for anti-Semitic statements he admitted to making and other “suspicious” activity in Palestine)!

With my Pakistani family being as late as they always are, we arrived to the Nikkah like 45 minutes late. I was freaking out! My family, who is always a half hour early, was to meet us at the mosque. I was so nervous because they were nervous about going to the mosque and this Imam’s picture is all over the place with him being labeled as a terrorist and we kept them waiting!!! But, alas, we arrived and my family was there with shoes off, heads covered, and supportive smiles.

The Nikkah was beautiful. The Imam was a very soft-spoken, kind-hearted man. I cried, my hubby cried, my FIL cried, my mother cried, heck everyone was crying at the end!

The next day was the white dress wedding. We had a ceremony at sunset. The ex-priest officiator started with “Asalaam Ualekum and Peace Be With Everyone” He asked everyone to shake hands and greet one another. We had selected some traditional Christina readings, the Kahlil Gilbran reading and we ended it with a Rumi poem.

What of Marriage? From The Prophet~ By Kahlil Gilbran ~

Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.


They run, and they run~ By Jalaluddin Rumi

A lover doesn't figure the odds.

He figures he came clean from God
as a gift without a reason,
so he gives without cause
or calculation or limit.

A lover gambles everything, the self,
the circle around the zero! He or she
cuts and throws it all away.

This is beyond any religion.

Lovers do not require from God any proof,
or any text, nor do they knock on a door
to make sure this is the right street.

They run, and they run.

Everyone had a great time. Both my Mother and my FIL gave speeches about how taken aback they were when my hubby and I announced our love for one another and our intention to marry, but how they see we are perfect for one another. My cousin, who is a nun, kicked off dinner with the Lord’s Prayer. The best past was seeing my in-laws dance together for the first time ever! My MIL has wanted a dance all of her life and she got it!