This was something new for me. My first South Asian wedding. Nitole was amazingly helpful and had sent a multi-page PDF explaining Muslim and Bengali wedding traditions. The celebration continued over three days, with three dresses of increasing beauty and intricacy, and was shared with hundreds of friends and family.
Regarding day one, the holud, Nitole explained: “This is our fun pre-wedding event that basically consists of putting turmeric paste on the face of the bride and groom and feeding them sweets. Applying turmeric paste is a tradition in South Asian culture that is said to brighten up the face and give a glow. It doesn’t smell that great, so we will be wiping it off periodically!”
It’s that kind of playful attitude I wanted to capture in Nitole and Ashraf’s video. In the middle of the chaos of day three I managed to sit them down alone, for a short time, and just let them be themselves. They’re hilarious together, sometimes mischievous, and always incredibly loving.
2nd Camera: Steven Yu. 3rd Carmera: Jack Szatko. Photography by Taylor Roades. Check out her amazing work here.
