Photo: Instagram/felixcrown
As a Muslim woman that’s about to get married, the pressure is on to find a wedding gown that’s religiously appropriate but still fashionable. Think modest with a twist. Matinat Mas’ud-Nuhu most likely kept this in mind when she married her husband a few weeks ago.
The couple wedded quietly in a civil ceremony but that was just the beginning. Following the intimate vow exchange ceremony that had their backyard transformed into a beautiful outdoor wedding venue (thanks to Love & Harmony events planner), the pair also hosted close family and friends for their reception as well as the Nikkah ceremony, and the bride had the dress to prove it.
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For some brides, the more extravagant the wedding gown the better. Matinat basically had no idea what she wanted to wear but she wanted to look her best, perhaps the most beautiful woman without having to sacrifice comfort. Besides, finding a dream wedding dress is a real journey, and not every bride wants to be there. In this case, her aunt came to her rescue and recommended a bridal stylist who ensured the bride scored all the style points.
“So, you hear the stories of people planning their dream wedding from the moment they understand the concept of marriage,” Matinat told Fashionpoliceng.com when she was asked to explain the nature of her dream wedding dress a single woman.
“It’s safe to say I was not one of those people. I had honestly never given any thoughts to what my wedding looks would be, although I always felt that I would have wanted it to be comfortable but still make me feel like the belle of the ball, after all, it would be one of the most important days of my life and it was crucial I felt that way.”
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But notwithstanding, she happened to wear four different looks for the nuptials, and what was even more impressive, however, was how she stuck to a white dress code throughout the occasion. Her reason was clearly keeping it ethereal. “I had initially wanted a change of color for my reception look as I noticed all my looks seemed to be white however Tosin worked to sell me on the idea of an ethereal bride and I bought it hook, line and sinker,” the bride said, adding that all her looks were to tell a different story.
For the civil wedding, Matinat opted for a breathtaking off-the-shoulder dress with pleat motifs. A pair of silver stud earrings and sleek low bun complemented the melanin-popping look. According to her, the soft tulle gown was dreamed up just some hours before the big day.
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Matinat looked just the way she wanted — the belle of the ball of her time and we can imagine how excited Mr. Nuhu was when the bride said “I do.”
Once at the reception, she made a quick outfit change. This time, the newlywed slipped into another beautiful confection — but a one-shoulder, sleeveless number finished with stud earrings and short hairdo with bangs.
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With a stress-free wedding planning as such, the newlywed clearly had the best bridal team that made sure her day was one for the book. From the dramatic picturesque location to a series of beautiful dresses, “What else could a girl ask for?” she asked.
For Nikkah ceremony, rather than slipping into Abaya as a regular Muslim gal, the bride whose style sense gravitates towards effortless chic, made one smart decision to work with her bridal stylist Tosin of The Wardrobe Manager and womenswear brand, Imad Eduso, to dream up an unconventional look.
The result turned out to be a stunning white jumpsuit with a matching jacket to keep the look as modest as possible. That’s because her religion matters, in this case. The look was, however, complete with a hijab, ditching her initial option for a turban with a fascinator.
“So I asked my mum & aunt if I would be able to wear the look and surprisingly got an affirmative response since the jacket was full enough to hide the jumpsuit underneath,” said the beautiful bride who decided color-coordinate with the husband.
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You’ll be mistaken if you think that was enough. Just wait until you see her last look — a Victorian-style ensemble which she chose for the bridal robe. As a matter of fact, finding the balance between glamour and elegance isn’t always easy for Muslim brides, but the black beauty aptly nailed the challenge. She concluded the wedding day in a vintage-inspired robe that came complete with exaggerated sleeves and a matching corset to create the illusion of a tiny waist.
This understated addition is the element of sophistication we’ve come to expect from a Muslimah like Matinat, who finished off the look with a pair of towering heeled sandals. She even posed up a storm to perfectly flaunt the dress, solidifying this bridal robe as one of the chicest dresses in her bridal collection.
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Keep scrolling to read her full interview, and of course, our congratulations are in order.
FPN: What was your dream wedding dress like as a single woman?
Matinat: So, you hear the stories of people planning their dream wedding from the moment they understand the concept of marriage. It’s safe to say I was not one of those people. I had honestly never given any thoughts to what my wedding looks would be, although I always felt that I would have wanted it to be comfortable but still make me feel like the belle of the ball, after all, it would be one of the most important days of my life and it was crucial I felt that way.
FPN: How did it feel to find your dream wedding dress?
Matinat: I wouldn’t say I found my dream wedding dress, I would say it was found for me. Like I mentioned earlier I had put almost zero thought into what I would want my wedding looks to be so you can imagine my confusion when I found myself in the position of thinking of what I would want to wear on my wedding. Thankfully, my aunt came to the rescue and recommended I hire a bridal stylist and suggested The Wardrobe Manager (TWM). I was wary about getting a stylist because I was unsure whether a complete stranger would be able to capture my essence and translate that into looks that I would love. However, I also welcomed the idea of pushing most of the stress of outfit planning onto someone else, so I went ahead and contacted them. Once I had gotten TWM on board, Tosin, the Creative Director proceeded to make it her personal goal to orchestrate looks that were not only timeless but also embodied my personality. Honestly, thinking back to all my looks I am still so shocked at how breath-taking yet totally me they were. Each look went through its fair share of revamps, but every single finished product had me feeling beautiful and I have to say it was one of the best feelings in the world.
FPN: What was the experience like for you?
Matinat: I would love to say it was a walk in the park but that wouldn’t be true. Having a stylist definitely made the whole process a lot easier but there were so many moments of uncertainty. As relaxed as I thought I was, I later realized I really wanted everything to be absolutely perfect and there were moments where I felt that it wouldn’t be the case. Thankfully, I got a lot of support and reassurance from Tosin, my friends, my family, and my wedding planner Wonu of LHEvents. As mentioned earlier, my looks went through a variety of changes before reaching their final form so you could say for each look I went through a journey. I will say I enjoyed the experience though. It gave me a newfound respect for those in the wedding industry because there is honestly so much that goes into giving a bride her fairytale day.
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FPN: You obviously wore different looks on your wedding day, including a corseted gown. Can you explain the inspiration behind it?
Matinat: Each look was orchestrated to tell a different story but woven almost from the same cloth. I had initially wanted a change of color for my reception look as I noticed all my looks seemed to be white however Tosin worked to sell me on the idea of an ethereal bride and I bought it hook, line and sinker.
For my court wedding dress, it was initially supposed to be a simple knee-length outfit however, once I was shown image inspirations of a flowy tulle gown I was sold. Funny story, my court wedding outfit was conceptualized a little over 24 hours before the date. I had gone to Mazelle studios for my fitting and we just realized the look wasn’t where we wanted it to be so we spent hours trying different ideas when we stumbled upon the idea for the final look. At this point, we were going for an ethereal look as I had mentioned earlier and so when they did a makeshift version of my sleeves, I knew we had gotten the one and all that was left was execution which they did perfectly in a short amount of time, I might add. The addition of my accessories, hair, and makeup choice was the final seal to bring it all together, leaving me feeling like I had walked out of a fairytale.
My Nikkah look was originally supposed to be an Abaya but trust Tosin to bring her own spin on it and with the help of Dami of Imad Eduso, they created magic. I had actually wanted to have a jumpsuit as one of my outfits and in no way had I considered it for the Nikkah look because I thought it would not work due to the religious nature of the event. So when I was shown the sketch for the Nikkah look which consisted of the jumpsuit and tulle jacket, as much as I absolutely loved it, I didn’t think I would be able to pull it off. Nevertheless, I loved it too much to just scrap the idea from the get-go so I asked my mum & aunt if I would be able to wear the look and surprisingly got an affirmative response since the jacket was full enough to hide the jumpsuit underneath. You can’t imagine my joy when I realized I got to wear a jumpsuit, for that fact alone I knew I would adore this look. With my choice of head covering, we had to look at two types. The initial choice was a turban with a fascinator which was chosen strictly to complement the overall look however, I needed to consider a more modest head covering for the actual ceremony hence we proceeded to get a hijab which would be worn for the ceremony.
If you remember I had mentioned that each look was to tell a different story woven from the same cloth so it was a given that my reception look would also be designed from tulle but with different twists from its predecessors. Once again Tosin & Dami shared a sketch of a corseted bodice which was to be laced with tulle to create an hourglass silhouette which would give an almost sensual vibe. At this point, it was already confirmed I would be cutting my hair for my reception look as it was an idea I had been harboring for a while, so I felt like aligning the cut with one of my events would be a great idea. Hence, I attempted to visualize the final look with my hair choice. This was difficult because I had never cut my hair before so wasn’t sure what my face would look like and the dress concept was quite unique so I didn’t really see similar looks while searching Instagram, so I was slightly anxious. This look was one that came together during each fitting because of the delicacy of the work. Since it was created from hand-pleated tulle each placement had to be marked while I had the look on to ensure it was all in the proper position. The one element that changed consistently was the sleeves of the look. It had initially started off as an off the shoulder small sleeve which progressed through different variations before we settled on the monostrap.
My bridal robe was set to have a Victorian style to it. This was not something I put much thought into, and I mainly left the decisions for this look in Tosin’s hand. Once she shared the concept of the corset over a satin slip with exaggerated sleeves and an overlapping slit, I knew I would look different, daring, and chic. What else could a girl ask for?
Overall, each of my looks was designed to portray a sense of effortless chic which I have come to realize is probably my ideal style choice. Each outfit spoke for itself and my make-up, hair, and accessories were just the icings on the cake. They were all simple choices however, without them my looks would not have come together as they did.
All the looks donned by Matinat were stunning. I was also initially skeptical about appointing a wedding stylist for my wedding, but I am grateful that I proceeded with a stylist. The wedding industry is well equipped with all the trends and tools, and I strongly suggest the new brides and grooms to seek a stylist’s help before the functions.