Look: Indian-Italian couple celebrates wedding in traditional Emirati reception in Dubai

The bride wore an embroidered jalabiya while the groom donned a kandura, bisht and ghutra — even their 750 guests were dressed in Arabic clothing, too

Supplied photos

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Sat 3 Dec 2022, 1:47 PM

Last updated: Sat 3 Dec 2022, 5:10 PM

Embracing the spirit of the UAE National Day, an Arabic-themed wedding reception was held for an Indo-Italian couple in Dubai this week.

Last month, UAE-based Indian resident Nirmalya and Italian native Gilberto got married in a traditional manner at Guruvayur temple in Kerala with attendees wearing hand-woven outfits made by local weavers.

And now their wedding reception held in Dubai was influenced by Emirati traditions. So, Nirmalya wore a green jalabiya as her gown adorned with head jewellery and Gilberto was in kandura, bisht and a ghutra.

And not just the newlyweds but 750 guests were dressed in similar Arabic clothing. Also, there were artists, dance, music, henna, food — all with a touch of local flavour — and a few camels and falcons, too.

Nirmalya is the daughter of Abhini, a fashion designer, and Sohan Roy, a Sharjah-based Indian philanthropic businessman and filmmaker. The unique reception was organised by Roy’s colleagues at Aries Group.

“Such a wedding reception is a dedication to the country that gave us everything in life. We are glad this ceremony coincided with the National Day celebrations, which makes it extra special,” said Roy, who sported a kandura, ghutra and a cane.

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“It was a memorable ceremony, made distinct by following the local traditions by around 750 guests. It was an awesome and unforgettable experience,” said Abhini, whose designs were used for the handwoven costumes worn during the wedding ceremony. They were made by traditional artisans from Kuthampully, a handloom village in Kerala’s Thrissur district.

“We felt a need to support and spread awareness about the dying handloom sector in India. So, everyone wore handwoven costumes by Shekhar Kuthampully,” noted Roy, who in the past has implemented several unique initiatives like job offers for India’s Agnipath scheme retirees, pensions to parents of employees, strict anti-dowry policy among staff, salary to the unemployed wives of staff, scholarships to employees’ children etc.

Nirmalya and Gilberto studied naval architecture at the University of Southampton in the UK.

“We thank everyone involved in organising this exceptional ceremony and for giving us precious memories of a lifetime,” the newlyweds said.

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