Photos courtesy of Unique Films

After becoming acquainted by a mutual friend and exchanging some flirty messages online, Amina and Adil finally met each other in 2016 on Waterloo Bridge in London on New Year’s Day. By either pure fate or coincidence, the pair just so happened to find themselves in London at the same time, despite neither of them being from the city. Therefore, it seemed only right for Adil to take a break from preparing for his intercalation year in pharmacology to link up with Amina who was visiting a friend at the time. They decided to go for a casual lunch, which led to dinner that was swiftly followed by evening tea on Oxford Street, and of course the couple couldn’t resist making the date an all-day affair by finishing with a trip to Winter Wonderland for some chocolate waffles. 

The Wedding

On the May 8, 2022, the “Nikkah” took place with their families only; which is a ceremony of signing papers and being wed in Indian culture and must happen two days before the celebrations. Amina stunned in a beautiful green dress called a Lehenga, designed by Pakistani designer Uzma Babar. This took eight months of planning, and the dress was imported from Pakistan. The groom entered wearing a Sherwani from Burooj in the UK. Adil entered to the sound of a dhol player; which is a type of drum played at weddings in the Indian culture. 

The Reception

Two days later the Adil and Amina’s magnificent wedding reception took place in Kinsale Hotel and Spa, Co. Cork where 200 family members and friends joined them to celebrate. Amina credits Natasha for how smoothly the day went, even going as far as stating that she “couldn’t have asked for anyone better to help plan it”. 

Amina reflects fondly on the entirety of the day, but one memory which particularly stands out to her is that of the Jhoota Chupai. This is an Indian wedding tradition where the girls side steal the grooms’ shoes and orders him to pay up in order for them to be returned. According to Amina this resulted in a lot of “yelling, laughter and chaos” at this point of the day. 

The guests were provided with beautiful bespoke “Thank You” cookies in a heart shape, courtesy of the newlyweds, made and individually packaged locally by Blackthorn Bakery in Kinsale. Amina recalls them as being “the best cookies in the world.” 

Following their magical day, Amina and Adil took off on their honeymoon to Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi Island, Singapore, and Bali which the booked with Exquisite Escapes (Shehryar Awan). 

For any future brides Amina advises to put any worries about possible mishaps to the back of your minds and instead delegate the role of dealing with any said mishaps to someone you trust to really enjoy your day. For Amina, this was her wonderful sister Fatima who she praises for being “the best bridesmaid ever”. 

How was your experience with Kinsale Hotel & Spa?

“My experience with the Kinsale Hotel & Spa was truly a dream. They stayed in touch constantly and reassured me they would do their best to help me have the wedding of my dreams - and they delivered! From taste tests that felt more like a fancy lunch date with my mum, to going through all the details I wanted over a coffee with Natasha at the hotel. I felt so at ease through the whole process. I couldn’t recommend them more! The chef did an incredible job with the food, despite it being more South Asian dishes and different to what he would be used to. We received endless compliments on the hotel’s hospitality (as many guests stayed there who came from abroad), the food, the ambience and the overall experience. I couldn’t have asked or dreamed for anymore.” www.kinsalehotelandspa.ie

Suppliers

Engagement and Wedding Rings - Matthew Stephens Jewellers

Wedding Dress/Lehenga - Uzma Babar

Grooms Outfit - (Sherwani) Burooj UK

Cake - Brian Roche of Baker Boy Cakes Co. Cork

Photographer/Videographer - Unique Films

Décor and Florist - Enchanted Events UK

Hair - Lynsey O Leary

Make Up - Moomal Moghul

Invitations - To Have And To Hold, Kinsale

Henna Design  - Alina Suhail