Emirates Bride was invited into the wonderfully traditional nuptials of Middle Eastern TV host Priya Jethani and her husband Rajesh Bhatia for their Indian celebration of love, joy and explosive colour in Dubai. Here, Priya reveals how she let her makeup artists take the reins on her big day beauty look.
Describe your bridal style: Simple, classy, elegant.
Who did your hair and make-up? I hired a freelance wedding make-up and hair stylist, Ghazala Mir, who came recommended to me by some friends and relatives.
Did you have a trial and did she understand your style? I didn’t need a trial as I witnessed her work at other weddings and was quite sure she would do a great job. She seemed very clear about the look she wanted to give me so trusting her, I hired her for both my wedding ceremony and my reception.
How did you prepare weeks before the wedding? I was doing a regular gym workout anyway so there was no change in that. I just reduced my consumption of junk food and consciously drank enough water so my skin would look fresh.
Ghazala also recommended I had three facials in the two months running up to the wedding. I did Luxury Reneve facials as well as B-tox hair treatments at my favourite salon The Nail Pavillion to hydrate and repair breakage as I knew hair styling on my big day would take its toll.
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What was your skincare prep kit before applying your make-up? I was keeping my lips and skin moisturised as my lips tend to dry up really fast and I wanted my lipstick to last without reapplying. I tried to sleep well but that didn’t quite work out because of last minute stress and preparations.
What beauty look were you going for? I showed my outfits and jewellery to my make-up artist and she gave me her own ideas to match each look. She had done so many weddings she knew every possible style.
For my mehendi/henna function I wore a sari that was green and pink with some silver bling on it. For this I hired a different make-up artist who did a fabulous job too. I had a one-sided braid hairstyle with jasmine flowers in the braid.
For the reception I wore a beige and gold sari from my husband’s family complemented with bronze eyeshadow and highlighted cheeks. During my ceremony my head was covered with a heavy red dupatta so I got a high hair bun with a jasmine flower garland which could be seen through the beautiful transparent fabric and stained red lips to match.
The best thing was my lehenga was bought by my mother from Lucknow without even consulting me – her choice was amazing and I loved everything about the outfit and jewellery.
Were you happy with the final result of your bridal make-up? Absolutely. It’s more than a year since the wedding and I’m still asked about the make-up especially from my reception day. Personally I think it was the best amongst all of my wedding functions.
Who did you have with you while you were getting ready? My mum, a dear friend and my sister-in-law who sweetly missed the boys fun and dancing in the baraat to stay and check if any make-up or hairs were out of place.
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How long did your bridal beauty look take? My make-up looks took three hours per function and my henna took just under three hours by two experts starting at my home in the morning. The design was very traditional and, as a custom, my husband’s initials had to be hidden somewhere on my hands for him to find – the poor guy couldn’t even spot them later that evening!
How did you achieve your hair look and did it stay in place all day? I naturally have straight and silky hair so to create volume there was lots of back-combing and spraying with strong-hold hair spray.
What worried you the most about your beauty look on the day? Two things. My false eyelashes falling off and my lips drying up too fast. My make-up artist gave me the red lip colour she used so I could reapply and my eyelashes stayed intact with waterproof dark-toned glue despite the all-nighter we pulled at the reception.
What was your favourite product used on the day? Something that was beyond perfect was the foundation match. The make-up artist mixed two shades of Rodial liquid foundation together and applied with a Beautyblender sponge – the final result was just wow.
Where did you get married? It took us two whole months to decide on the venue but we finally decided on the JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa in Dubai. We had a traditional mandap and the beach in the background. The best part was the peacocks roaming all over the resort and we managed to have some clicked in our wedding photographs too.
Priya’s wedding essentials
– Butter drench moisturiser Dhs140 Bare Minerals
– Ceramic iron brush Dhs195 Sephora
– Vanilla and Watermelon Lip Balm Dhs95 Grown Alchemist
– Moisturising hair oil Dhs125 Christophe Robin at Sephora
– Nail Polish in Espadrilles Dhs100 Chanel
– Texturizing hair spray Dhs80 Ouai at netaporter.com
Images: Supplied
Words: Rachel Bassett
