Sarmad & Ain Srinagar : A traditional Kashmiri Muslim wedding in the ‘City of the Sun’!

“You don’t find love, it finds you. It’s got a little bit to do with destiny, fate and what’s written in the stars.” – Anais Nin

How They Met
What seemed like a casual party, turned out to be the most interesting time of their lives for this couple. Ain and Sarmad met at a mutual friend’s party. Soon after, Sarmad asked for Ain’s hand in marriage but she was still in Medical school and too young to get married. So the couple decided to stay friends for a while but eventually lost touch. 

The Proposal
A couple of years later, Ain’s batchmate got in touch with her, enquiring about Sarmad. Ain called up Sarmad to let him know about the girl but Sarmad clearly had someone else in mind. He confessed his feelings to Ain and admitted that he still liked her and wanted to marry her. He even sent an official marriage proposal to her house!

Wedding Planning
Ain and Sarmad stayed engaged for two years. During that time, they met almost every day, finalised their wedding dates and planned everything. Ain was very clear about what outfits she wanted to wear during the wedding celebrations and played a part from her wedding ensemble, played a major role in designing the other outfits. She wanted the wedding to be about her, the groom and their families! On her days off from work, she would go shopping for whatever was required for the ceremonies. One thing that Ain was very particular about during the wedding planning process was the decor. She is extremely fond of flowers and wanted to incorporate floral elements into the decor. 

Wedding Ceremonies
Mehendi Ceremony: The day began with an intimate Mehendi ceremony where Ain wore a dark purple gharara with intricate gold sequins work. She accessorised it with fresh orchids. For the Mehendi ceremony in the evening where she and her family were being joined by the female relatives from the groom’s side, she switched into a more lavish look, opting for a pastel mouse grey and wine coloured gharara with dabka embroidery. She wore a delicate diamond jewellery set and her fishtail braid was adorned with fresh baby breath. 

Aab Shehrun:  It’s a ceremony where the bride takes a bath and dons the Kashmiri pheran with tilla embroidery (done with real silver or golden threads). She then performed ablution, offered namaz and recited verses from the Quran. This was followed by the Wazwan, an elaborate non-vegetarian Kashmiri spread. For the Aab Shehrun, Ain wore traditional attire, coloured in green and red and paired the ensemble with real silver Kashmiri jewellery. 

Nikah: The Nikah took place in the evening where the friends and family of the bride and groom came together to witness the couple’s holy matrimony. It as an Asalatan Nikah which means which the bride and all-female relatives were on one side while the groom and all-male relatives were on the other side. Both sides were divided by a curtain. While the bride made her entry and settled down, the women present in the room indulged in ‘Wanwun’ where they sang traditional folk songs to honour the celebration. The Qazi recited Quranic verses, asked for the consent from both sides and then prayed for the newlyweds. When it comes to describing Ain’s wedding ensemble, one word comes to the forefront of the mind – magical. Encrusted with beads, pearls and sequins, her cream outfit was nothing short of a dream. She paired it with a stunning blue jewellery set, complete with meenakari and polki work. Sarmad wore a black sherwani and grey churidars. His outfit was accessorised with a matching black pashmina embroidered with intricate Kalamkaari work. and grey sehra. 

Satim Doh: On the seventh day of the wedding, guests from the bride’s family are invited over for a feast at the groom’s house. This day is known as the ‘Satim Doh’. Even here, the Wazwan is served. For this occasion, Ain wore a teal blue gharara with a lemon-coloured dupatta, hand-embroidered in zari and dabka work. Sarmad went with a deep bottle-green kurta from Vikas Makhija with white churidars and a printed Nehru jacket.

Post-Wedding Photoshoot: Unlike most couples who have a special photoshoot before the wedding week, Ain and Sarmad opted for a post-wedding photoshoot. With a bird’s eye view of Srinagar as the backdrop, the newly-weds looked radiant and the photographers captured their love through photographs. 

About the Photographer
“They are simply amazing! Every photo they’ve taken tells a story. Every picture is a piece of art. I loved how they captured every important moment and all emotions!” – Ain, bride

The Dream Team
Venue: Moghal Mahal, Srinagar

Bridal Outfit: Asiana Couture

Makeup: Rishab Khanna

Jeweller: Malabar Gold Diamonds (Mehendi) | Tara Singh Jewellers (Wedding)

Photographers: Knots by AMP

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