A Letter From The Editor | Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Bride S/S23

From perfect dresses to pre-nups, make-up to matchmaking, Natasha Faruque hones in on the wedding scene in the Spring Summer 2023 edition of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Bride

My wedding was a disaster. The world was literally our oyster when we were planning our nuptials. That meant that a year into our engagement while I was racked with indecision, my husband took matters into his own hands and picked a date, a venue – and presented me with a fait accompli, saying we could always have a ‘proper’ celebration afterwards.

Unlike Rebecca Wales who flew to Sydney to pick up her perfect dress, I ran into a department store and asked for every white dress they had, not even trying it on till the morning it was due to make its grand debut. I didn’t mull over heels or flats, dashing to a boutique minutes before it closed. Make-up was done at the next door MAC counter without a trial, while my hair was coiffed ‘Texas-style’, at a parlour that just happened to be near my hotel in San Francisco.

Why did we get married in California? I have no idea. Now that I’ve read this issue’s pre-nup story, I might have vetoed that choice. Our honeymoon doubled up as a work trip for me, while my wedding night was spent writing an Oscars cover story on deadline. So unlike all the impressive brides that we’ve celebrated during this issue, I do wish I had done things differently. And I wish I had an issue of Harper’s Bazaar Bride to offer up tips, tricks and inspiration. Maybe I’ll take the advice given to second-time brides and have a do-over. The only thing I wouldn’t change? The one I said I do to. So in the end, I guess it was perfect in the only way that really counts.

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Bride’s Spring/Summer 2023 issue.