Photos from My Wedding

The night of my mehendi, there were so many girls and women in the room that it was too hot. The lens on the camera fogged up, but Ashraf took a few shots anyway. The woman sitting to my right is Dilshada, my brother-in-law’s wife. The woman sitting to my left is my cousin, Kehrunissa. In a final touch, she’s dabbing henna on my fingertips.

On the morning of our Nikkah, the women and I relaxed in the room adjacent to the kitchen. My father-in-law passed away shortly after I met him in 2008 – the woman on the left is his sister. On the right is Dilshada’s mother, and they are sharing a smoke. Underneath each pheran (the baggy muu-muu both women are wearing) is an earthenware firepot with live coals. The pheran and firepot are essential for survival in the Kashmiri winter.

More of us relaxing in the morning. In the foreground is a second-cousin who lives in the village. Hamida, in the black headscarf, lives in a gypsy house in the forest. She gave us a dozen eggs and two kilos of kidney beans as a wedding gift.

My sister-in-law, Shabnam, worked around the clock cooking and serving the guests. Although shy, she speaks English very well.

My mother-in-law, Rahma.

After the Nikkah, my cousins all danced, sang and played drums and other percussive instruments. In the center of the photo, you can see a woman holding the equivalent of a tambourine – it’s a silver rod with tiny cymbals attached.

The singing and dancing continued as one of my uncles looked on from outside.

Admittedly not my best photo in terms of technical quality – it was tough to shoot and be a bride. However, look at the size of the samovar, which is used to serve tea to the guests. The tea is called kahwa, and is made with cinnamon, cardamom, green tea leaves and saffron for coloring. In the lower right corner, you can see the live coals in the bottom of the samovar that keep the tea hot.

My husband takes a moment to eat some lamb with the guests. Aside from the Nikkah, it was probably the only time he sat down that day.

Sitting on the right is Uncle Reyaji, a dear friend of the family. He drove two hours by car from Srinagar to represent me. The Nikkah ceremony requires an attorney, witnesses for both the bride and groom and a Muslim priest.

The henna is still strong in color after three days.