Been There Done That - Maria & Muzackir
This week on our segment, we got the chance to catch up with Muzackir Nadim and Maria Ariff, who just celebrated the first anniversary of their marriage. Muzackir is from Colombo and is an IT business professional working for a large conglomerate whereas Maria moved to Colombo from Galle and is now an airline ticketing professional at a private travel agency. After a year of wedded life, they recall the hustle and bustle of planning their wedding.
How did you two meet?
Muzackir and Maria : It was an arranged marriage. We were introduced by family and relatives so we didn’t know each other before. We saw each other for the first time - in the presence of our parents – and discussed with them our compatibilities and expressed both of our interests in each other to get married.
Before the big wedding day, did you have any pre-wedding rituals?
Muzackir and Maria : Not really, it was important that both of us were committed to thinking about our life beyond the wedding rather than the wedding itself, hence we thought to keep the wedding and its other ceremonies as simple as possible. Our parents and relatives from both sides met with each other on a few occasions, simply for the purpose of discussing dates and invitations.
Did you have a mehendi ceremony?
Muzackir and Maria : Again not really, as we found that this had become an unnecessary lavish custom picked up in recent times. However we did have the ladies from the groom’s side visit the bride’s place, the night before the wedding, to hold pre- wedding dinners at both houses with relatives and friends.
What are some of the customs followed by you’ll on your wedding day?
Muzackir : We started the day by donating meals to the needy. And then it was simply about waiting for the time to get dressed. There are customs that were mandatory obligations - like getting to the hall for the Nikah which is between the groom and the male guardian (her father) of the bride in the presence of the registrar, my father and legal witnesses who were respected family members. The Nikah involves an oath, signing of papers and that’s it. Then we proceeded to receiving the bride with my father-in-law and I offered the obligatory ‘Mahr’. After which we had a dinner with great food. This was the most satisfactory part of the entire event – that the guests enjoyed and were treated with good food.
Maria : For me it was to start the day with a special prayer and then proceeded to the venue. I got dressed up, waited for him and then proceed to dinner.
Were there any special family traditions followed when planning these ceremonies?
Muzackir and Maria : Not really. The family traditions were the dinners we had around the wedding days – which can be quite excessive.
How difficult was it to plan all these events?
Muzackir : Planning to “plan” was the difficulty at times, as things like these we aren’t used to planning. But it was okay, not too chaotic as we stuck to the list of tasks and dates.
Maria : For me it was difficult - like getting people in line with the theme. We didn’t use a wedding planner or select from a pool of specialised wedding service providers - so getting people to understand the theme of decorations for the venue and the dress were the main difficulties. Other than that, we tried to keep it simple as possible.
The most memorable part of the whole ceremony?
Muzackir : For me it was the moment I was handed over the daughter of my father-in-law by him. It sparked a feeling of new beginning and responsibility. I also got to see the people who we know closely over the years - family, relatives, school friends, teachers, headmaster, colleagues, former chairmen and bosses and senior managers. It’s not easy for them to take the time and come all dressed up for such a short ceremony but the fact that they did was very special.
Maria : The whole day was memorable, getting dressed and gearing up for the event, being handed over by my dad to him - all of it is memorable. And then travelling to Galle after a long, long night with his family and my friends coming in as well was great. We were also very happy to see some of our family and friends coming in from all over the world - London, Doha, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Tokyo, Portland - USA, Melbourne - you name it, they were there.
Interviewed by Panchali Illankoon
Photographs courtesy Alliance Studio
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