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Bollywood Romance
Bollywood Romance
After seven years of friendship, Sabaah Arshed and Sumon Hoque finally tied the knot! Amber Bell spoke with the couple about their big day at The Marcliffe Hotel, and setting new standards.
Sabaah Arshed, 23, and Sumon Hoque, 27, weren’t in a hurry to get married. But after seven years of getting to know each other, they didn’t see the need to wait. The pair approached their parents for a traditional Indian-style proposal and exchanged vows just three months later. “Everything happened very quickly,” says Sabaah, “but we knew what we wanted, so decisions were made very fast!”
The bride, a chartered accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the groom, an insurance agent at NFU Mutual, wanted to set a new benchmark for Asian weddings in Aberdeen—merging their Pakistan and Bangladesh heritages at the Marcliffe Hotel reception on 4 October 2009. (They’d held their official ceremony the day before at Aberdeen Mosque). “The elegance of the location, the beauty of the gardens and the opulence of the Grand Ballroom was the perfect combination,” says Sabaah.
Refraining from the typical red and yellow Indian colour scheme, the dynamic duo chose a palette of black and gold with touches of white. Specialist Asian stage management company, Diamond Weddings, implemented their décor. Stately fishbowl pillars lined the red carpet that ran down the middle of the room, while black and white chair covers and gold sashes and table runners kept the look crisp. The royal stage at the end of the ballroom—set with a posh gold-trimmed sofa and two chairs—provided a place for Sabaah and Sumon to speak with guests and pose for pictures. “We wanted to keep it suave but simple,” says the bride.
Rosemount florist Four Seasons created towering lily centrepieces for the reception tables, which were named after various Bollywood movies. Guests enjoyed a bespoke Indian canapé reception and a five-course meal—all catered by Glaswegian company Mazadar. “There were a lot of Western people at the wedding, and the caterer wasn’t expecting the mango lassi to be consumed as fast as it was!” says Sumon.
The cake, a golden ivory four-tiered confection by Exclusive Cake Design, featured a beautiful cascade of roses from top to bottom. A roaming table magician from Comagi Corporate Magic kept the crowd entertained, and the newlywed’s master of ceremony doubled as their DJ (a practice common in their culture), spinning Asian Bollywood-type tunes throughout the night. Finesse Limo provided transportation.
The bride was a vision in her antique gold-embroidered fishtail lenga, custom-designed by Ranis of Bradford. She chose crystal-encrusted shoes, sparkling amber jewellery and a matching dupatta (head piece) also from Ranis. The three bridesmaids donned bespoke off-white lengas from Ranis as well, with more gold embroidery, stacks of bracelets and traditional henna tattoos.
The groom wore a custom-made Indian sherwani from a designer in Mumbai, India, but postal delays caused his turban to arrive the morning of the wedding and it was a size too small. “He spent the whole day trying to smile, while in agony because of how tight the turban was!” says Sabaah.
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