Our Intimate Wedding in Raleigh, NC: The Shazlys
On March 27th, 2021, Omar and I got married! It was a beautiful, intimate day surrounded by our closest family and friends. I never imagined myself having a large wedding so thankfully Omar agreed and we planned our day with no expectations. As long as we had each other, nothing else mattered. We spent roughly $3,000 for a 24 guest wedding which we planned in three weeks. Ahhh! It turned out amazing and the simplicity will forever stay with us! So here is the story of the day before our wedding and the ceremony itself!
Brewery Bhavana, Raleigh, NC
My family flew in from Nashville and Dallas the day before our big day. Having my mom and 5 siblings attend meant the world to me and I am so grateful that they would stop their lives for us! We all met up at Brewery Bhavana for dinner where the food was absolutely amazing. We all chatted and caught up then explored downtown. If you are ever in Raleigh, I highly recommend this spot. The appetizers are all amazing!
Downtown Raleigh
My Dress: Satin midi dress from Hello Molly
Jean Jacket: Custom Mrs. jacket that was a gift from my sister but I found a similar one on Etsy
Maya’s top: Black one shoulder shirt from Lulus
Jeans: American Eagle ripped mom denim
Black heels: Old Navy
March 27, 2021
I started the day off very early and got my hair done at Dry Bar then headed home to do my own makeup. I lounged around the house in my Etsy bride pajamas with my mom and sister before the first dress reveal to my future husband. I wanted a calm morning where we could drink our coffee and relax before meeting up with the rest of our party.
We headed to the mosque for our Katib, a muslim wedding ceremony, where we got married in front of our family. My oldest brother was my witness (mahram) as we married in the eyes of God. My long sleeve dress is from Lulus which I had altered to sew in the sleeves for an appropriate mosque attire. My hijab was from Amazon and flower bouquet from Etsy.
After the ceremony, we headed back to our home to take a few pictures with our puppy, Leo. He wore an adorable bowtie to match his dad’s navy suit. Tears! We didn’t hire a photographer since we just wanted our family to take pictures. The day was meant to be easy with perfect in the moment shots. To us, these moments in our backyard with our family as paparazzi will forever hold a special place in our hearts that we can always look back on and laugh about.
My Revolve Wedding Dress
After the ceremony, we went back to Omar’s parents home where I changed into an off the shoulder gown from Revolve. A similar style can be found at Lulus here and here. We opted for an untraditional wedding cake and enjoyed the fan favorite, Nothing Bundt Cake with a custom last name wedding topper from MintToBeUs on Etsy. If you can’t tell already, I love Etsy and really tried to find a lot of custom made details from local online shops to support.
Margaux, Raleigh, NC
After some light o'dourves and cake, everyone met at Margaux’s in Raleigh for a private 3 course dinner. I can’t even explain how delicious the food and service were. We had a great time and our families raved afterwards about how calm and enjoyable the overall day was. We went with the flow and truly were at peace by the end of it.
We made the most out of our Covid wedding and thankfully it turned out lovely. We didn’t care that it rained, that the cake fell, or that I secretly had to take off my Spanx by the end of the night (so much food and oh so painful to have on haha) These are all funny memories and we can already look back and laugh. Our dream day consisted of love and that is what we are most thankful for. With my husband by my side, my heart is full and complete. I am beyond thankful and excited to start this next chapter of life together.
XOXO,
LN
