A Scenic and Colorful Multiday Muslim Wedding in Istanbul, Turkey

Have you ever read a spellbinding book that somehow manages to get even more captivating with every page? The relationship and wedding of Raushani Zahoor (23, a luxury department store assistant manager) and Anosh Lokasher (25, a global systems analyst who works in IT) is the real-life version of a bestselling novel.

Even the couple’s meet-cute seems to have come straight from the romance shelves. Anosh’s older brother and Raushani’s older sister wed in 2019 and, unwittingly, planted the seeds for their siblings’ grand love story.

Raushani is from Ireland and Anosh is from Manchester, England. Before the first family wedding, Anosh visited Ireland to practice a choreographed dance that he would perform with the bride’s family (whom he didn’t realize would one day become his in-laws).

While there, he and Raushani fatefully bonded over doughnuts in Raushani’s hometown, where a 24-hour Krispy Kreme shop had recently opened. “We ended up sneaking out in the middle of the night to go get doughnuts without telling anyone,” recalls Anosh. And that sugary excursion was the beginning of a sweet relationship.

Although an in-person dessert date kicked things off, Raushani and Anosh then dated long-distance during the pandemic. Physical separation often tests relationships, but for Raushani and Anosh, it cemented their love. “We were unable to see each other for multiple months during the pandemic,” recalls Anosh, who longed to be with Raushani. “That’s when I knew she was the one for me.”

Despite navigating travel restrictions during those early days, the couple quickly made up for lost time with a memorable trip to Turkey for Raushani’s birthday in 2022. Anosh worked with Marigold Design House (which the couple later hired for the wedding) to set up a special outdoor dinner with candles and roses. It was there, against a backdrop of the Bosphorus strait, that he proposed. A year later, the couple returned to Istanbul to tie the knot.

Selecting Istanbul for the wedding had less to do with the proposal and more to do with a long-held dream of Raushani’s. She recalls that she had always wanted to get a nikkah (Islamic marriage contract) read in a mosque in Istanbul. She had often spoken with her late uncle, with whom she was close and who died in 2021, about one day getting married in Turkey. A businessman with professional ties to Turkey, he was always asking colleagues for suggestions about the best places in the country for a wedding. Raushani recalls that when loved ones passed along their condolences, they often said, “Your uncle would have loved to be the first person at your wedding.” Raushani was adamant the wedding take place in Istanbul to honor him.

And so in August 2023, Raushani and Anosh (who now live together in the United Kingdom) welcomed 110 loved ones to Istanbul for a three-event wedding that kicked off on the 27th with the nikkah at Dolmabahce Mosque. It nearly didn’t happen, however, because the mosque they had booked canceled on them a mere five days before the wedding. Thankfully, they found an accommodating replacement and were able to go ahead with the religious ceremony, which is required for a Muslim couple to be legally wed under Islamic law.

The bride says that the intimate event was especially emotional since the nikkah is “the main wedding function in our culture.” In keeping with the private atmosphere, the couple had a family-only lunch afterward.

The following day the couple hosted their mehndi at Six Senses Kocatas Mansions, whose sweeping Bosphorus views were reminiscent of Anosh’s proposal. Anosh says that this was especially memorable, as the mehndi “consists of choreographed dancing, colorful decorations and outfits, informal vibes and a whole lot of fun.”

Raushani and Anosh wanted the mehndi decor to surprise them. They gave their design team a general direction and a short list of dos and don’ts but otherwise entrusted them with the visual direction. Inspired by concepts that Anosh’s architect brother, Muneeb Lokasher, suggested, the designers settled on a vibrant palette with lots of fruit accents. And yes, Muneeb is the same brother whose wedding brought Raushani and Anosh together. Bringing the story full circle, he was heavily involved in planning the celebration in Turkey.

Looking back, Anosh says the mehndi was his favorite part of the bash, since “everyone was involved and nobody held back.” One especially memorable moment was the surprise dance that Anosh and his mother did in honor of his late grandfather. 

The multiday celebration concluded with a reception at Six Senses on August 29. While it was a bit more formal than the mehndi, Raushani and Anosh still wanted the entire thing to feel lighthearted and personal.

As they had done the night before, the couple made sure to walk around and thank their guests for coming. This was a departure from tradition, as it’s customary at many Muslim weddings for the couple to sit on the stage and take everything in, as opposed to interacting with attendees. But with family as a top priority, they wanted to ensure that they could mingle with everyone.

Not only did Raushani and Anosh want their guests to feel the love, but those in attendance also sought to shower the newlyweds with adoration. Anosh recalls that a few guests surprised them with lovely, heartfelt speeches.

Even the dinner menu placed a special emphasis on family. The couple served a mezze menu, which is a tradition in Middle Eastern culture. “This form of dining is kept informal to cement the bond of two families coming together by sharing food,” they say. Also on the menu? Coca-cola.

Many Muslim weddings include a tradition known as doodh pilai, which is a milk-drinking ceremony. However, the couple “made a slight change to this and did ‘Coke Pilai,’ as it was the only drink we had left,” explains Anosh. As part of this ritual, the sisters of the bride offer a decorated glass to the groom. After drinking its contents, the groom gifted his sisters and sisters-in-law gold earrings to complete the tradition.

The couple’s DJ kept the fun cross-family interactions going with a spur-of-the moment dance-off later in the evening. “A member from each party had to come in the middle of the dance floor and bust a move,” recalls Raushani. “Every single member participated, and the little kids stole the show.” At the end of the night, the couple jumped into the venue’s infinity pool as the grand finale.

While a wedding this picturesque might seem perfect, Raushani recalls that the lead-up to it was anything but. Due to the couple’s relatively short engagement, planning was a “very hectic and stressful experience. There were a lot of hiccups on the way, with disagreements in some areas as there were multiple people involved in the planning process with different visions.” However, in the end, the couple brought all their visions to life. To other to-be-weds Raushani imparts this wisdom: “It definitely gets incredibly overwhelming, and you may have multiple breakdowns throughout the process, but everything leads up to your perfect special day. Even on your wedding day, make sure you are enjoying every single moment and not stressing about what is happening in the middle table, because it will pass in the blink of an eye.”