Mashiat Faroza’s father had never gone shopping with her, and especially not for lehengas. But with her wedding, he decided to go along with Mashiat to pick out her outfit for the Holud Sondha, also known as the Haldi ceremony, when the bride is smeared with turmeric paste before the nuptials.
Raised in Bangladesh, Mashiat moved to Canada for her undergrad. She met her life partner Tadmir when they were still in school, and the two decided to make Toronto their home after completing their education. Their traditional Muslim wedding entailed 13 events in total, spread over a year from December 2016 to December 2017.
“I bought a lot of my garments from Sue Mue in Delhi,” says the 25-year-old, who has now launched her own fashion label in Toronto and who believes Sue Mue’s customer service exemplifies bespoke bridal design. “Everyone loved my outfits; I got thousands of new followers on Instagram after I started putting up my wedding photos,” she laughs.
For her Holud Sondha, for which the family expected 500 guests, Mashiat wanted something from Sue Mue’s ‘Bani Thani’ collection. Unexpectedly, it was her father who made the final choice.
“My dad usually never has any opinions on my clothing so it was quite refreshing when he actually helped me pick an outfit,” she says. Brides in Bangladesh mostly wear green or yellow for this ceremony, but instead, her father selected an orange choli and gold lehenga for Mashiat. “He loved the colour and silhouette on me,” says Mashiat, who worked with Sue Mue’s senior designer Preeti to add a bespoke touch to the look.
“Not only was I wearing a gorgeous outfit in an unconventional colour combination, but I also had the joy of having my dad pick out one of my wedding outfits for me,” smiles Mashiat. “It was a very special moment.”
Coming up next: Mashiat Faroza’s Rukhsati Lehenga