It was such a lovely day for Nada and Mina’s South Tampa Egyptian wedding. We love learning about new cultures and experiencing the traditions of various religions, so we were in awe the whole day capturing all of the special and unique details of their matrimony. Their traditional Egyptian wedding ceremony was held at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, where family and friends gathered to witness the two devote their lives to one another. The celebration then continued afterward at their wedding reception at Renaissance Tampa International Plaza, where Nada and Mina danced the night away with their guests. We are so honored that we were able to be a part of such a wonderful day for these two sweethearts.  It was full of energy, color, music, family, and of course love!

Nada’s wedding dress was from Vera wang’s White Collection- it was so pretty! One of the many traditions we learned about on this wedding day is that in the Egyptian culture, when people are very happy or excited during a wedding, they all make a cheering/”olll-oll-olll” sound…called a Ululation, a high pitched vocal sound.  It is practiced in communal ritual events to express strong emotion and celebration.  It is hard to describe in words- but it is super fun to witness, and it happened all throughout the day! Nada is a dentist- and has the beautiful smile to prove it! Nada’s uncle had the honor of walking her into the church to hand her off to Mina. The bride and groom chose to see each other before the ceremony….this is always so special! The wind was whipping and caught Nada’s veil perfectly! The Egyptian ceremony was extremely colorful and full of energy.  Family and friends filled the alter with cheers and support. Both the bride and the groom wore traditional, decorative ceremonial robes during the wedding at the church.  The Egyptian robe is put on the groom declaring him the priest of the new kingdom/ their house which has been established with his wife, the bride. The crowns are intended to show that the couple, through the blessing of the wedding ceremony, have become crowns to each other. We hurried to the reception after the ceremony to catch the fleeting sunset- and I am so glad that we did! A gorgeous and tasty wedding cake by Laurie at A Piece of Cake.   The couple shared a slideshow with images from both of their childhoods, with images of their families and friends, and aspects of their lives today as a couple. The was no shortage of DANCING at this Tampa wedding.  Traditional Arabic  music was played all throughout the night- and the dance floor remained packed! While the temperature dropped outside, the bride and groom cuddled up for a little warmth.

 

A special thanks to all of the wonderful Tampa wedding professionals we had the pleasure of working with to make this day come together so beautifully.

Tamps Wedding Photographer: Andi Diamond Photography; Tampa Wedding Gown: White by Vera Wang; Tampa DJ: DJ Felix; Tampa Wedding Cakes: A Piece of Cake; Tampa Wedding Hair and Makeup: Michele Renee the Studio; Tampa Wedding Ceremony: St. George Coptic Orthodox Church; Tampa Reception: Renaissance Tampa International Plaza; Tampa Wedding Decor: Connie Duglin; Tampa Weddng Florist: Milly’s Flowers

Share your well wishes for Nada and Mina by leaving a comment for them (click “add a comment” on the right below).  To pre-register to view the couple’s entire wedding gallery, click HERE.