Walimah April 10th

Woke up eventually around 1pm, shock!! Got up and had a little breakfast, then went to the tailors. The usual guy wasnt there so they didnt have any idea where my suits were except for the one hanging in the window. We took that one!
Lazy day really. Chilli Tomato and bhai have gone for a haircut and in about an hour and a half we will be going to the salon to get my face sorted :( not looking forward to that.
Mad night!! left for salon late about 545pm and she did everything I didnt want. Finished after the time the party was supposed to start (the 3 girls werent even ready!) Got stuck in traffic after ami and L took forever to get ready. Phoned mum on the way over and told her we were having the party. When we arrived they wouldnt let the chin chee guy in and we had to wait for A to arrive before it could start. The camera people had been there since 830pm but it all didnt start until 1130 :(

Just took photos, more photos, ate, more photos and then everyone left. After all the hype I was a little disappointed :( But its over and done now alhamdulillah. And again, my walimah from Aishah :) 

Bradford

Hubby seeing new sights as I give him a tour around my university city of Bradford :)


- I'm using my iPhone as I go :)

April 9th 2011

Late start to the day as we were up late last night. Some people stayed over and we just pottered around during the day.
Around 5pm the girls came to do my henna. They were so quick and its amazing, they didnt go as high up on the leg as I thought but thats ok. I washed it off around 8pm and its so dark its unbelievable. I think the fans drying it off has something to do with it ;) When I usually have this done and I think about how long to leave it on for I always remember my uni friend when she put it on me for the first time and then put the lemon, sugar and water over the top when it started drying.

Went out with the girls after chilli went to collect his sherwani with the boys. We went to pick up the jewellery set, it is gorgeous!! picked up my bracelet from ami too which is just as lovely. The tikka is so cool, thinking about asking hubby if we can keep the tikka :D its just so different for me :D
Stayed up late watching a recent family shaadi from Lahore which was very different from what we wanted and the video went on for sooo long, close to 3 hours.. I hope ours wont be that long :(

Mehndi

Quiet day. Siblings went to pick up Bhai and an auntie from the airport. Bhai had 3 bags with him, was overweight by 15kg but ended up paying for only 1kg, which kinda makes me hopeful for when we go back ;)
Went to pick up my gharara, my other suits arent ready yet :( Wore the one we picked up yesterday, the trousers are a funny material and very hot so I wore my Monsoon skirt instead. Checked out the new person we are paying to do the video and photography for the 2 events insha'Allah the video will be good, hubby has given many specifics and although they seem to understand what he wants, he doesnt seem hopeful. Hubby got his tight pants (cant remember the name) and gave them to his mum to be dyed black after stressing around a little market trying to find me a scarf for tonight and somewhere to dye his pants.
I uploaded photos from last night onto FB :) has to be done!! I think I feel more like people are here with me by hearing (reading) their comments.. does that sound weird?
Have been watching them put up the tent, it looks huge and really nice inside masha'Allah. I cant wait to get in and see it all from down there.
Just getting ready now, doing my face with the few bits I bought over from Body Shop, got my outfit on minus hijab and accessories, Nadia (best friend from Canada) just phoned me too, I cant believe it!! I miss her so much and wish she was here to explain all these things to me and just to have someone to talk to.
Thirsty!!

 Aishah came over for the mehndi as well :) check out her post here --> My Mehndi from another perspective

April 7th- the Mayoon

Went out with Abu to do some errands today and stopped at the frame shop on the way back. The 2nd frame they had made was very poor quality so after chilli and Abu spoke with the owner on the phone, hubby took back my stitching and demanded the money back. Very upset!! I cant believe hes pushed us around this much. Hes had the stitching since Sunday it could have been finished a long time ago :(
Picked up one of my suits from the tailors, I love the kameez, the shalwaar is very weird stiff fabric and I hope once its washed it will be less starchy.
Ami's friend popped around before, she left us all a little present masha'Allah which was nice. Gave me some jewellery and hubby a tie/cufflink/cravate set :D
Ami and A went out to do last minute things and got back when people had already started turning up. Hubby didnt know what to wear, in the end settled on the orange Shahid shalwaar and a white kameez, he looked nice masha'Allah.
Party got underway. To start with it was so boring, I was sat in the bedroom for nearly an hour after everyone had settled on the terrace so A coud sort out my chair. When I should have been sitting with the ladies with their drums and singing, I was eventually led out. We went through the ritual of everyone putting some yellow tinted paste on my hand and giving me a bite of sweet, Chilli had to tell people a few times I was wearing a scarf when they tried to put the paste on my head. When that had all finished A took us into the bedroom for some photos, then we were finally allowed to eat, although I had to wait for my naan. Then there was the usual vegetarian and muslim comments and the 'she doesnt speak urdu?' which all made me feel very uncomfortable and paranoid mixed in with the stares and giggles.

For more on the ceremony history visit this link ---> here or here

Us

My mayoon outfit :)

April 6th 2011

We woke up for fajr alhamdulillah and Chilli went to the mosque and stayed up after that, his cousin came around, they sat downstairs and I got up around 10am after sitting outside for a little while.
Hubby went to pick up ami's frame, the guy wasnt there.. insha'Allah later
As I listen to the dhuhr adhan I am humbled and grateful to be here, Im also sad at how the family are with their Islam. To live with this constant reminder yet the closest they have to recognising it is to pull a see through piece of material over their heads or utter a duaa under their breathe :( so sad. I wonder how Chilli feels being around his family now, knowing that when he left he was much less religious than now.
Phoned mum, just to give her peace of mind while Im here I dont mind really. I just dont tell her how hectic its been, I think she will see it as we think this is more important than the civil wedding. That we are spending so much money on this and getting professional things, inviting more people and what not.
Went to Tariq Road, we got pulled over by the police for driving on the wrong side of the road, yeh I know!! but its the norm over here... you need to get on the other side where theres an island in the middle you just drive on the other side.. its ok, but if theres an accident its your fault and obviously the police can and WILL pull you over for it!! demanding all sorts! this time it was just short of £5, but apparently its the principle, which is why we were sat around for about 30minutes until the copper eventually talked to my sister in laws husband and he let us go.
When we eventually got there we were looking for bangles and hijabs, eventually found a nice chori stall but quite expensive. We got a little discount and came away with 2 sets for the mehndi and 2 for the walimah (orange/red and sea green/silver) they are very pretty masha'Allah. We had to buy some plain sparkly glass ones that A is supposed to put on my wrist at the mehndi and we got some cheap gold and silver plain ones for the Mayoon.
Couldnt find any hijabs, or even material :( but was told I needed some shoes for the mayoon. Heres me thinking I would wear the silver ones, but I was allowed flats which made me happy :D Hubby had wanted me to buy a pair of the traditional flat leather sandals, so thats what I got :) Slightly uncomfortable between the toes, but Im sure I will get used to them.
Late night!!

April 4th 2011

Had a great time with Aishah last night, hubby too. I think it was good to get away from family, alone time but not totally.
A and ami have finally come around to the idea of me wearing hijab after we showed them some photos we found. Insha'Allah it will be ok.
Just been out for lining fabric, got the gharara back from the tailors, feeling very sick and dizzy... putting it down to not having eaten yet.
Insha'Allah we will eat soon then we're going out for fabric for my hijabs and some suits hopefully. Also went to the photographers to look at the albums, 16,000 Rs to cover the 2 events (mehndi and walimah) approx £100
Cant wait to get all my outfits back, might be picking up hubbies kurta too later insha'Allah.
Went out around 4pm, took A's and amis suit to be stitched at a different tailors because this one is taking too long (the main tailor just had malaria!) Sat with L and the nephew in the car, then went to Tariq Road for other things, picked up hubbys kurta, he looks so nice in it, I love it! On this trip we bought my mehndi shoes which I really like and 3 unstitched suits and one kameez fabric

Mosque on a roundabout at Tariq Road

April 5th 2011
Strike on today! No shops open :( which means an extra day waiting for my everyday clothes to be stitched :( No idea what we will do today, Chilli said visit relatives.
Didnt pick up amis frame yesterday, by the time we got to the shop around 9pm it was closed :(
Boring day really, didnt do anything. Sat around outside for awhile, took pictures on the roof and went to give out a few invitations in the evening.

April 3rd 2011

Croissants for breakfast, some had already been eaten and the carton left open so I picked the softest one and closed the container properly.
The sim card we got yesterday wasnt working so we drove down the road and picked up a new one.. here you have to give identification details over the phone when you get a new sim card! Also picked up some tomatoes and fruit, tested watermelon.. delicious!! We arranged for amis stitching to be framed too, insha'Allah will pick it up tomorrow after maghrib.
We still need to buy suits for me, hopefully tonight we can do this. Spoke to Aishah before to see when the best time to take the invitations would be, insha'Allah will see her soon. Hubby popped in an invitation to a guy he bumped into a few days ago who he used to go to school with, so Im pleased about that.
The food arrangements are all finalised for the walimah and the mehndi. Im still worried about the mehndi tent being on the road! but Ive been told this is very normal. We gave him half the money, apparently we will see how the mehndi goes before giving him the money for the walimah.. CRAZY!!!
I didnt have dessert before and someone commented 'the dr wont let you have ice cream either?' I was a little upset, I keep thinking they think Im too picky with my food or over exaggerating things, but really its only the water Im staying away from.
Spoke with mum again today, she talked to hubby, so sorry my stepdad did ;) she now has our phone number so hopefully that will calm her down more.
Chilli tomato went to give out invitations to the party to some relatives over an hour ago huff!! Still not back! been talking with abu for this time in a nice quiet house :) A's husband just turned up so he should be back with her soon, I wasnt allowed to go.. apparently Im a surprise lol. I dont think we will be going anywhere else tonight.

Went to see Aishah :D

In this time

On a side note, I cant believe its been over a month since we got back from Pakistan.. Im still reliving things by showing photos and handing out gifts to friends but the truth is.. we are back in UK :( I miss the family terribly and some things over there.

We recently booked our flights to spend some time in Canada during the holiday in December and January for 3 weeks, so we are both looking forward to that :D Then the next holiday hopefully will be just us, as there is a plan for bhai to get married in Pakistan the end of next year of beginning of 2013.. Allahu alim who knows where we will be by then, hopefully hubby will have his indefinite leave to remain in the UK by then insha'Allah :D

Currently in the middle of 2 stitching projects :) photos to follow
Peace and salams
Ammena

April 2nd 2011

Woke up earlish this morning and sat outside on the terrace for a little while before being called in for breakfast of too salty scrambled eggs. I dont know whether its the fact that Im not used to salt or that they just use too much salt or in the things I wouldnt use them in.
We had our money exchanged finally, experience and a half!! Hubby went to a few places to see the exchange rate and when he found it we took the money in. They told us how much we would get and we had to wait for the uncle to go to the bank to exchange it. They gave us a few thousand rupees in bills which really confused me until he lead us outside. I thought he was taking us to another bank, I was told to get in the car and watched as they went behind a pillar and the uncle pulled a wad of money out of his sock!!!
Came home and ate, then went to the market to pay for some gold with the money we owed ami. She was going to exchange the wedding set she had for my 12 year old sister in law, buy something that would go with my outfit and let me wear it. Then sell it afterwards for the sister in laws wedding. Instead they decided to just change the stones for a colour closer to match with my outfit. A bought me a pair of beautiful earrings and we chose a turquoise coloured stone to hang in the centre, Chilli tomato picked the colour that I had liked straight away, so whats to think about there?! I also wanted a new nose stud, we had a look at the small ones and decided on exactly the one I was looking at in Tooting back home. Because the earrings were cheaper than what she had intended she bought me the stud too :D Ami had wanted to buy me earrings (and for A to get me a ring, but rings are pretty pointless to me) but there was a bracelet that we really liked. It was outside her budget so we are putting some money towards it. They are also going to do my charm for my bracelet, 2 separate ones, a moon and a star. They said they could do it as one but I like the idea of 2 better. They were trying the necklace on me and asked hubby to lift up my scarf 'why shes wearing one' he told them.. from the looks on their faces abu hadnt mentioned it to them that was still the plan. Oh well!! Im fighting for just 2 things in these parties so far, my hijab and no black henna!
After the market we went to METRO which is just like a big Costco really, a cash and carry. Picked up some bits, water, shampoo, noodles, washing powder etc. Then we headed home. Hubby mentioned getting the sim card and they all had this big joke that after 3 days of talking about this we still didnt have it. He got out the car to get the sim, came back with some medicine and we drove home.
Got home, ate a little but then they all went to give invitations to ami's sister. Dropped us off at the bottom of the road to get a sim card, then hubby asked if I wanted to get a rickshaw home... did I ever!! IT was fun, we laughed the whle way :D although I cant imagine travelling on the busier roads in one, so unsafe! but will do it again soon insha'Allah

My earrings :)

My nose stud, sorry for the boxes.. I didnt take a single photo of it away from me :D