Muslim Wedding Preparations

Before a Muslim wedding takes place, several preparations and rituals take place to prepare the bride and groom to-be for their wedding. The following list of rituals describes the events that take place prior to a Muslim wedding ceremony.

The Henna Party
This is the party for the bride prior to her wedding. It usually occurs several days before she gets married. During this party, the bride is united with female friends and family members. Artists are hired to create beautiful designs out of henna paste. These designs are placed on the bride-to-be’s hands and feet. These designs, which last several weeks, are intended to protect and embellish the bride. The party also provides a wonderful bonding opportunity between the bride and her female companions.

Purification
Different customs are embraced by each country. Nevertheless, water is an important tool to cleanse and prepare the bride and groom for marriage. In Egypt, water is drawn from the Nile to prepare a pre-wedding bath for the bride-to-be. In Morocco, the bride-to-be spends five days purifying herself for her husband.

Engagement or “the sharing of a drink”
For Turkish Muslims, an engagement is ‘announced’ when a drink is shared between both parties. The drink, traditionally, is sherbet. The term “sharing sherbet” is a common announcement for engagement.

Fatha
A ceremony in which arms are extended and prayers are recited to thank God and bless the proud father’s of the bride and groom-to-be. This ceremony is also referred to as “dad’s night,” as it’s a male family celebration. Typically, the groom and his father lead this service and stand in the center.

The Bride’s Turmeric Ceremony
Traditional Bengali ceremony, where the bride is approached, on her platform embedded in flowers, by guests who rub turmeric on her face. The turmeric , which is coppery, is a Muslim wedding tradition which is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring luck and prosperity. The bride’s mother-in-law will tie a rakhi around the bride’s wrist as a symbol of betrothal to her son. The bride must not remove it until after the wedding ceremony.