The Wedding Dress

I brought it home today: ivory A-line with lace and beading, and a "champagne" colored ribbon. I tried it on, too, once I got home, complete with crinoline skirt-slip and corset, very fun. I was afraid it'd be a little too big but in fact it was quite snug. I have a matching bolero jacket and scarf to wear with it.

A "wedding dress" isn't a typical component of Muslim weddings, as far as I can tell. It's more an American tradition, although I know it's fairly popular all over the world. When trying to do research on Muslim weddings, I've discovered that they are largely influenced by the predominant culture of the land, and can vary extensively by region.

So what I decided I want to do is include all the essential and proper components of an Islamic marriage, and adhere to proper Islamic etiquette, while incorporating some additional American customs. Because Islam is flexible enough to accommodate a variety of cultures, I thought that incorporating different traditions (so long as they don't actually conflict with Islam) would be a fun and exciting way to conduct the marriage.

My fiance is from Pakistan, so it would make sense to include some customs from Pakistani weddings, but since we will inshaaAllaah be having a walima among his friends in Washington, and again in Pakistan (I can't even describe how excited I am about that!), I am going to plan the events here in Raleigh to have a more American feel. Hopefully this will make my family and any other non-Muslims guests feel comfortable (and inshaaAllaah receptive to da'wah), and it should also be fun for me.

And a pretty white wedding dress is one of the "American" customs I would like to incorporate in my wedding. So I've got one now! Some of you might know the thought and deliberation I put into getting the dress, but I have it now alhamdulillah and am quite happy with it.