They say in every eye lies a story longing to be told, in every oblivious smile is a reason waiting to be revealed and with every bride is a potential fairytale waiting to be unfolded. I, as a Muslim, have been proposed to by someone who could be the one I’ve been waiting for, someone I have not seen, met or knew existed. The principle of the arranged marriage is that it requires me to hold onto blind faith by trusting the fate God has set me. It is never an easy task to walk towards utter uncertainty, but then again with every risk comes a great prize.
Some might consider 20 years to too young of an age to be thinking about marriage, but each story varies from the rest.
I’ve had intense thinking bouts; long nights of ‘what if?’ and longer days of imagining many scenarios to guide me through my decision-making process.
What if I’m not ready to leave the comfort of being under my parents wings?
What if his family and I don’t get along?
What if we don’t ‘click’?
….and these were the least of my worries.
On the night my mother told me about the proposal, I prayed to God, asking for guidance to make the right decision. Later on, I took a week to think it through, going through many thoughts and contemplating my decision. Meanwhile the investigation of my potential husband had begun! As soon as I had known everything I could know from family members and relatives, I felt ready to take the next step and meet him. I, personally, needed to meet him face to face instead of depending on the opinion of others. After all, a lifetime will be determined by the words you trust.
The word ‘nervous’ is an understatement of how I felt during our family meeting. Thankfully, he passed the test! He got me to loosen up four minutes into the conversation and as we were finally left alone we ended with a few laughs. I knew then that we had clicked and that this was meant to be. I then accepted his hand in marriage and became an engaged young lady.
Two weeks later, I was on my way to Europe to find every bride’s most important asset, her perfect dream wedding dress. Realization of being a bride-to-be didn’t sink in till I was in that long-trained, full sleeved laced wedding gown. Reality hit me as my mother’s tears trickled down her cheeks and a wide smile drew upon mine. I was happy and the purity of it all began to shine through my days, brightening my nights.
Planning a wedding might be a stressful task but after every decision made, every dime spent and every thought provoked, comes a lifetime of building a new shared life and determining the rest of your days side by side.
Every girl envisions her dream marriage. All it takes is the right mentality to connect your matching dots and indifferences and the rest simply falls into place throughout time.
To every reader gazing at these words, I wish you the clarity of mind and heart to find your way to your match and the right marriage. Hopefully if it clicks, love will set in.
