Hairpieces today, false eyelashes tomorrow… How wedding beauty and photography trends have evolved over the years! Chong Seow Wei asks Maniza and Iqbal Jumabhoy about their wedding day style and why it gave them fond memories.
Married on December 26, 1983 in Hyderabad, India and at The Ascott, Singapore
Four—that was the total number of ceremonies Maniza and Iqbal, managing director and group CEO of SilverNeedle Hospitality Group, held when they got married in 1983. The couple started off with a private service attended only by family at a mosque in Maniza’s hometown of Hyderabad, India, before holding three more very lavish celebrations in the city and later in Singapore with relatives, friends and acquaintances. All ceremonies were complete with flower garlands, elaborate traditional rituals and a scrumptious spread of food.
The result: four photo albums filled with captured memories from the various days. “The wedding photo shoots were considered very serious affairs,” says Maniza, the founder of theatre company Limelight Arts and a partner at Theatrix Productions. But instead of flashing stern expressions, the couple and their guests were mostly snapped in candid moments.
For close-up shots, Maniza shows off her Bollywood-inspired makeup—pale skin, glistening eyelids and strong arched eyebrows. She also decided to go for a more laid-back hairstyle, like the loose bun she sported – which she says was “not too formal and more flattering for a young bride”.
As elaborately different as their ceremonies were, the couple adorned different outfits for the four ceremonies,
but the one that stood out the most for Maniza was the white sari she wore for her second reception in Hyderabad, which saw her childhood home packed with close to 2,000 guests.
Today - Maniza & Iqbal Jumabhoy
“The delicate netted ensemble was embroidered with pure silver thread, a design inspired by my mother’s wedding sari, which was in turn inspired by the gown Queen Elizabeth II wore for her coronation in 1953,” shares Maniza. “I loved my mother’s sari so much that I wanted my own wedding sari to be similar to it.”
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