Hands on...

The day before formal wedding celebrations begin, and Samina and Mariyah are busy finishing a seemingly endless list of last-minute tasks. Cooking for visitors; teasing out the petals of paper flowers for living-room decorations; fielding phonecalls and texts. Mariyah, who has been pretty calm up to now, is finally admitting to feeling nervous.   When I came into the living-room, I found her struggling to tie up balloons: 'My nails keep popping them!'  We agreed that she would blow up the balloons and I'd tie them.
Six of us met for a quiet evening meal together, which was lovely.  Fortunately, Mariyah and Samina have a close woman friend who's had extensive experience of organising Muslim weddings in her own family; her affectionate steadying hand is invaluable.