Nada and Emad: Penguins for Life
- Clare Spencer
- Feb 25, 2019
- 3 min read
Photography: Mohamed Atef
Nada was born in Egypt, moved to Dubai, then to Kuwait, and then eventually Michigan when she was twelve years old. Emad was also born in Egypt and moved to Canada in 2010 and then Michigan in 2016. Nada’s mother and Emad’s second cousin were friends since middle school. When the news that Emad was moving to Michigan reached Nada’s mom she and her family decided it would be nice for Emad if they were to show him around the area. So, Nada, her mom and her younger sister all got together with Emad one day for lunch and to help him get acquainted with the area. They continued to do so as a group for several more outings, until Emad finally asked Nada out.
They were sitting in the car outside of Twelve Oaks Mall, when Emad told Nada about penguins. He explained how penguins mated for life; how a male penguin will search for the perfect pebble to present to his female partner, who then becomes his partner for life. (I can imagine Nada just thinking, “Okay, cool….?”) After the brief science lesson on penguin mating, Emad pulled a small box from his pocket and asked Nada to marry him.
“My surprise led me to first say No, then Yes, then Oh My God and then the tears came.”
Their wedding took place in Cairo, Egypt at Mena House, which has an incredible view of the pyramids. Nada had always dreamed of having her wedding there, ever since she had visited the hotel as a young girl.
“I think it really brings the history and modern side of Egypt together and I am so proud of my culture and heritage, so I wanted to honor that somehow. I want our future kids to look back and know that they should be proud of their country and where they and their family come from, no matter where [in the world] we live.”
Nada and Emad’s wedding day was also Nada’s parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary. Nada’s parents’ relationship is one Nada and Emad look up to and try to emulate within their own relationship. They wanted to make sure the anniversary was part of their big day, so they played her parents’ first dance song at the wedding.
After two long weeks of gown shopping and traveling all over Michigan to different bridal shops, Nada ended up at Mimi’s. Nada kind of liked a dress from the first place she visited but wasn’t sold and her mother encouraged her to try more gowns. Which led to a long, tiring search. Nada came to Mimi’s exhausted and confused. She only picked out four gowns to try on, none of which made her very excited. They started to get ready to leave and Nada casually started looking through some gowns as they made their way to the front door. One dress caused Nada to pause for a brief second which incidentally caught her mother’s eye as well. They decided Nada would give it a try. Not feeling very enthusiastic Nada put the gown on…and it fit her perfectly. It was everything she wanted, lace and some sparkle and beaded embellishments. The only concern Nada had was that the neckline was too low, but thanks to the Mimi’s alterations department, they were able to build up the neckline with some extra lace without changing or interfering with the shape of the neckline or the integrity of the gown.
The gown was C461 by Allure Couture, a full skirt ballgown with a paisley, brocade style embroidered lace scalloped hemline and the same type of appliques covering the bodice and cascading over the waistline. There is a second layer of soft, delicate lace. The gown is off the shoulder, has a sweetheart neckline with a slight dip, crystal and pearl beadwork and sequin all throughout the bodice.
Advice: “[…] have an idea of how you want to look on your special day. But don’t be afraid to try on a dress that you might not pick on your own. You might be surprised!”
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