Salaamualaikum friends!

Fact number one: Ramadan is over, and the majority of the Muslim ummah is sad over the end of the fasting month and the intense ibadah (worship) so many of us focused on.

Fact number two: Now that Ramadan is done, wedding season is officially here, and with that comes Haute Hijab’s second annual Wedding Week this May! (Well, it’s actually two weeks this year, but we’re continuing to call it HH Wedding Week.)

I look forward to this yearly because this tradition began on the blog three years ago when my writers’ team and I thought (based on observing the things you like to read) that it would be good to do a “Wedding Month,” where we focused our content and stories on all things pertaining to marriage, relationships, weddings, divorce, families, blended families and, of course, weddings. That year (2021) The Haute Take hosted Wedding Month in July between Eid ul Fitr (at the end of Ramadan) and Eid ul Adha (in Dhul Hijjah).

We had so much fun and you all responded so positively to our stories and content that we decided HH had to go all-in on Wedding Week!

We have so much in store for you this May with Wedding Week, starting with a carefully curated collection page of beautiful “special occasion” hijabs and foundational products to wear as a bride, a member of a bridal party or if you’re attending weddings this spring and summer! One of the things our fashion writer Hakeemah covered in last year’s HH Wedding Week was all the hijabs, products and tips you need to have the best hijab day on your wedding!

We have some fun things planned for you on social as well an abundance of stories and content geared towards all aspects of the wedding process – from bride-focused content to wedding color trends for 2023 to bridesmaid tips on how to best support a bride to wedding night advice (yes, you read that right) to a few crowdsourced articles from married women and recent brides to those who are embarking on this new and beautiful chapter in life.

As someone who’s foot is firmly planted in Generation X and someone who is mother to three adult-approaching and adult-ish Gen Z’ers, witnessing how weddings, courtship, relationships and marriages are unfolding now for my nieces, nephews, children of friends and someday (Insha’Allah) my own children has been an eye opening experience of letting go of past traditions that deserve to be left behind mixed with the carrying forward of advice and things that are timeless and steeped in the wisdom of our faith.

I waiver between worry – over if these young adults truly appreciate the beauty and hard work of compromise in a marriage – and hope and pride that they have a way better sense of self than those of my generation ever did. A firm sense of self and what matters to you in building a marriage with someone – as well as understanding where and how much you’re willing to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of the life you are building together – is so important.

But look at me! As my HH team members and friends say, I’m talking in “aunty mode!” And so what if I am? Some people embrace their villain era; I’m embracing my aunty era! One of the things my friends and I talk about is being the elder aunties and confidants to our daughters and other young women that we desired when we were young. Be the aunties we wanted in our lives when we were young!

With that being said, I hope you enjoy HH’s Wedding Week coming up this month! If you’re getting married soon, we pray your marriage (and wedding) is a blessed and beautiful one. If you hope to get married, we pray the right spouse will come to you, someone who straddles the best of deen and dunya!

As always, make good choices, and start everything with Bismillah! See you on the blog.

Editorially yours,

Dilshad