Middle-East Wedding in Edinburgh

Muslim weddings are a little bit different and I absolutely love learning more about different cultures. So I was delighted when Mahmoud contacted me to photograph their wedding celebrations at the end of March 2018.

They explained that the actual legal side of the wedding took place about a week before the celebrations, and the wedding party is then an announcement that a wedding took place. Nevertheless, there were quite a few formal elements to take photographs of.

I met with Mahmoud and Ghadir around 5:30 pm and we wanted to head to the beach for some photographs. But the weather was totally against us, it was cold and drizzly. The first point on the agenda was the "First Look". Mahmoud greeted his bride, and Ghadir looked absolutely beautiful. We spent a few minutes inside, before heading out, finding shelter at the entrance of the building.

We didn't want to get Ghadir's dress dirty before any guests arrived, so we made sure we stayed in the dry area. After the photographs, the guests started arriving and once they were all in, Ghadir and her dad made their entrance and Mahmoud greeted his bride officially. The proceeded to the front stage, where Mahmoud presented Ghadir with some jewellery. All this was accompanied by fantastic Arabic music. The guests joined in to the congratulations.

Mahmoud explained to me that normally after the jewellery ceremony, group photographs will be taken. However, at Muslim weddings, there is no list as such to work your way through, but people who want to be photographed with the bride and groom can simply step up to the stage. I absolutely loved this way of group photography, as it was fun and relaxed, and everyone really wanted to have their photo taken - and all this in a great party atmosphere.

This was followed by their first dance and more partying. The last formal element of the day was the cutting of the cake.

Ghadir's family were so lovely and her mum and sisters explained to me how it all works in the muslim culture.  I adored Ghadir's sisters' dresses, so I made sure to take a few special photographs of them too.

Saffron Events provided the stunning rose wall setup. The couple invited me to join them for dinner and was curious about a second buffet table which had been set up. I hadn't seen food like it before, and at first glance it looked like savory nibbles to me. However, they were the most tasty Baklava sweets I have eaten! One of their friends brought them from a shop in London, but the groom informed me there is a shop in Edinburgh called "The Sweety House" in Clerk Street which provide them. We went there a couple of days later.... and we are in heaven! If you haven't tried these, this is the tastiest find of this year!!