Any do's and don'ts for a Muslim wedding?

HurdyGurdy

I am so excited. I have been invited to the Mehndi night and the wedding of a former work colleague.

All I know is that it is a segregated wedding. I have never been to a Muslim wedding before, and just wondered if there is anything I should be aware of. I would hate to cause any offence to anyone.

I am soooooo looking forward to it all


Oh - on the invitation, it states "no boxed gifts please". Is that a "normal" thing, or is that just something that this couple have decided on (and if so - any idea why? - is it a cultural thing?)

reehsetin

Not familiar with muslim weddings but in a lot of cultures cash is king for wedding etc gifts. To help the couple start their new lives - in a lot of asian cultures they'd live with other generations in a family home so no need to kit out a new house.

barba

Don't kick up a fuss when there are no sausage rolls or pork pies at the buffet.

(Muslims don't eat pork)

bluenoseam

It may be a good idea to arrange a meeting at the local Mosque to ask them for advice, I'm sure they'd be more than willing to give you some pointers & would be rather pleased that you'd done so. Common sense will be the order of the day I'd guess, perhaps pick out a plain head scarf, not go OTT with makeup & be mindful of the fact this isn't a typical wedding. If you do decide to contact the Mosque though it's going to be your best bet to avoid inadvertantly offending any "traditionalists" who may not be quite so "relaxed" with regards to non-Muslims not being 100% with everything.

What I will say is that if you (and I'd guess other non-Muslims) have been invited then there's a fair chance there may be a more "westernised" feel.

elsien

Round my way Muslim marriages aren't held at the mosque.
Personally, I'd say your best bet is to check with the colleague. If they know you well enough to invite you, then surely you know them well enough to ask the etiquette questions?

trolleyrun

Don't bring a bottle of hooch

Savvy_Sue

Modest dress: no bare shoulders, no cleavage, no slit skirts.

realised

Dress modestly... Cover your arms and legs and apart from that have fun! Mehndi nights are wonderful :j

Indian/Pakistani weddings in general always say no boxed gifts on the invitations. Instead of a gift, just put the money you would have spent on a gift in a card

GwylimT

Where is it being held? If its in mosque you will have to cleanse before hand, if its not in mosque you might not have to. Make sure you can pray in your outfit.

When we got married we had an extra room for non-muslims so they didn't need to wash as a lot of women complained about not being able to wear tights.

HurdyGurdy

Thank you all. The wedding isn't being held in the mosque but a local "premier wedding and conference" venue in the town.~

Now that I understand about the "no boxed gift" thing, and have got some views from you all, then I will ask my colleague/friend some specific questions. I didn't want to go straight in and ask something that offended her!

Oh, I am just so excited about this!! Her sisters have both been married recently and she has told us about the Mehndi nights that they have had and they sound really wonderful.

And the wedding itself sounds such a lovely experience

dancingfairy

Maybe google it to get an idea of the things that might be important and those that are likely to cause offence, then you will have a guide as to what to say to your friend. I guess it's like 'christian' weddings - just because it's a muslim wedding I would necessarily assume it would be completely traditional, every wedding will be personal to the couple involved.
How exciting though. Weddings are always exciting and it would be really fascinating to see how other cultures celebrate theirs.
df