About Farrah and Harris
"Harris and I met while attending College-we were in the same English class. We became good friends and our relationship blossomed further. Four years later, we completed our studies and decided to take the next step and get married. Currently, Harris is working in Finance and I am working with a law firm. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya. My family moved around in different countries until we settled in Canada. Harris was born and raised in Canada. His family is of Pakistani descent and my family's origins are in India, Pakistan and East Africa."

About the Engagement
"Many of our family and friends were quite aware as well as us that we were going to get married. So, we had a traditional engagement (mangni) in front of our family and friends. Harris, knowing that I had see many wedding stories on television and "pop the question" reality shows decided to get down on one knee and put the ring on my finger. It was quite sweet. In our culture we also place a ring on the future groom's hand. We kept our engagement simple and small. My brother was the DJ and everyone had a great time."

Invitations
"We opted out of printing fancy invitations. My brother helped us out by purchasing pre-designed cards and we added our own little messages. Its a great way to experiment with different fonts, colors and designs at your own leisure and our cards turned out great!"

About the Wedding
"Harris and I are Sunni Muslim. We chose to have a traditional wedding which involved a 3 day celebration beginning with dholki parties a week before the actual wedding. We had the Mehendi on July 15, the Ruksati on July 16 and Walima on July 17.

The Wedding ceremony began with the Baraat arriving, dancing to music. Once the Baraat were settled and seated, I followed in a couple of minutes after being escorted in by my sisters, aunts and cousins. Harris and I sat separate, in keeping with the tradition of Nikah. Nikah is the binding of marriage in which vows are performed by the Imam (the bride and groom are not supposed to see each other before the Nikah) . The Imam took my consent by asking me three times if I consented to this marriage.

Like most marriages...we had two witnesses from both sides of our families. The actual binding (Nikah) of the marriage is the most short part of the Wedding. Ruksathi followed right at the end of the reception. It was the emotional part of the wedding, where my parents and family bid their goodbye to the bride. So, it was quite a sad moment for me and my family, as in keeping with the traditions of Ruksathi I was leaving my parents home and starting a new life."

"The Walima took place on the 17th of July. The last part of the Wedding and the most relaxed!!! Walima is a reception thrown on behalf of the Groom’s side. It starts off with the Bride and Groom making their entrance. Dinner....and then the Party begins!!!! For the Walima, I wore an offwhite net lehenga with Gold embroidery. Harris wore a pinstripe suit along with a gold tie to match my outfit. It was a great night. We ate and danced the night away!!"

"I hired a wedding decorator for the Ruksathi and chose to have a red and gold theme, with an emphasis on the head table. Each table was decorated with clear vases, red rose floating candles and petals which created a very romantic feeling. Also, I had an aisle with pillars set-up."

Wedding Clothes
"Harris wore an off-white sherwani with gold khusey. I wore a heavily embroidered gold and burgundy lehenga with colorful rhinestones. Both our outfits were purchased from vendors in Calgary."

My Wedding Planning Advice
"Organize, be patient and enjoy the time. After the wedding, Harris and I were like...wow, time flies. You prepare for so many months so atleast enjoy all that hard work as it is worth it! I would also advise that you designate duties to your family members and make sure they have a clear idea of what you want. Also, try to take the last few days before the wedding to relax, if you can. I wish I wasn't dealing with little petty things a day before the wedding...but sometimes you can't help it."

Our most memorable moment
"Would be during the wedding. After the Nikah was read (as the Bride and Groom are not allowed to see each other until the vows are read) and my sister walked me over to be seated next to him and we saw each other for the first time. it was our most memorable moment."