DESPITE the violence in many parts of the Arab world, life goes on. In Saudi Arabia these days, the shops are filled with young women selecting silverware and sofas. The seamstresses are overwhelmed with orders for white dresses. Young men are looking at new cars and renting apartments. June and July are the prime marriage months in the Kingdom and preparations are in full swing.
At Mariage for Decoration, Lighting and Flowers, located in the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, the atmosphere was crackling with excitement and urgency. Women sat before open photograph albums of table arrangements and floral designs. Shelves were filled with coffee pots and candy trays. Ladies in abayas clustered around books of fabric swatches trying to coordinate napkins with tablecloths. Moving from group to group, answering a thousand questions and giving orders in between, was Madam Hassanah, Mariage’s wedding planner and the undisputed authority on all that is fashionable and desirable for the perfect Saudi wedding.
“There is no standard Saudi wedding,” explained Madam Hassanah. “Girls begin planning their dream wedding from the time they are young teenagers. It will be a very important night. For years they have been imagining how they will look and what kind of party they will have. Our mission at Mariage is to turn these dreams into reality.”
The highlight of any Saudi wedding is the party called the “farah,” which is held on the first night that the bride and groom will live together as husband and wife. It is a party for the female guests invited by the families of the happy couple. The bride is always a part of this celebration and about 90 percent of the time, toward the end of the evening the groom makes an appearance as well. Traditionally the groom and his family cover the cost of the farah. In the past it was usually the mothers who were most responsible for the planning of the farah, but now frequently the bride plays a prominent role.
“Holding the farah is a huge undertaking with hundreds and sometimes thousands of invited guests,” said Madam Hassanah. “For the sums that they will spend people want to create a very special event. That is not possible without the services of a wedding planner. Families are able to rent everything from us for the farah. Our designers and engineers create the perfect atmosphere for the party. It is simply not possible for any individual to do that alone.”
When Madam Hassanah says that families rent everything, she means it. Only a very few families could afford to purchase all that would be required for an elegant dinner party seating 2,000 guests. It would be expected that families could rent dishes and tables, but Mariage even hires out carpets and candelabras.
The centerpiece of any farah is the “Kosha.” Elevated on a stage at the front of the ballroom, the Kosha is the small area where the bride, and perhaps the groom, will be seated to receive the good wishes of friends and relatives. It is a very elaborate setting that is sometimes likened to a living diorama.
“The Kosha can cost anything from a few thousand riyals to millions,” said Madam Hassanah. “Usually the bride gives us her budget and then we plan the scene. The Kosha will include a background, flowers, furniture, carpeting and lighting. Some brides want a Kosha that is a completely new concept. This is expensive. Brides on a budget will usually choose an arrangement that we have done before.”
Lighting is a very important part of the Kosha because it will enable the bride to be more visible at the front of a large room. A concept called free lighting is very popular this year. In free lighting, strings of tiny pinpoint lights illuminate a dark backdrop placed behind the furnishings. Generally, spotlights in different colors are placed above the Kosha. When the bride and groom first enter the room the spotlights will be used to focus the attention of the guests and set the mood. Some very elaborate weddings even use chandeliers with candles in them to give the room a rosy glow, which is much less harsh than regular electric lighting.
“Usually we discover first what the overall decorating scheme of the wedding will be and then based on that we suggest designs for the Kosha,” said Madam Hassanah. “A Kosha for a wedding done in the style of Ancient Greece will be different than one done in Modern Metallic or Opera Style. Some of the most beautiful have backgrounds made of sparkling stars or even the rising and then setting sun. Flowers are essential and we order them from Holland. This year the fashionable flower color is violet. The flowers on the Kosha must coordinate well with the flowers the bride will carry in her bouquet.”
While the Kosha is the most important part of planning the farah, Madam Hassanah must complete a five-page list of details, which are required for every wedding party. Seating arrangements for the guests normally include tables decorated with floral centerpieces, ornamental tissue boxes and gilded turntables filled with sweets and snacks. Even simple chairs are generally dressed in fabric slipcovers.
“If a bride can explain to us her dream party, we can make it happen,” asserted Madame Hassanah. “A very fancy party will take three months or more to plan and put together, but we have done astonishing weddings in as little as two weeks. We have all our own designers, decorators and engineers and can build incredible scenes. We have been here in Riyadh for 23 years and now do weddings in the Eastern Province and Doha too. We buy very high quality goods and materials for our rentals so the atmosphere is very rich and elegant. This is what brides in Saudi Arabia want. With us, every one of our brides is a princess, at least for her wedding night.”