NOTD: For Sabrina's Wedding

Hello!

Today's manicure is an extremely special one for me. If you follow this blog, you may have seen me mention in a 'random facts' list that I am a teacher at a university. Any teacher will tell you that what makes teaching worthwhile is the students you get to see grow and become successful. Even among those, there are usually a few really special ones that you'll never forget.

Recently I was invited to the wedding of just such a student. Not only had she taken classes with me, but she was also a research assistant in my lab, and always always always brought laughter and happiness into my classroom, my lab, and my day. I was beyond honored to be invited to her special day, to celebrate this aspect of the amazing life she has built for herself.

Sabrina and her groom are both of Indian ancestry, and I knew there would be traditional decorations and dress at the wedding. I don't own anything like that, so I wanted to honor her in my own way on her day with my nail art, and months ago when I saw Cheeky XL plate C, I knew it was exactly the right way to do so. Yes, I've been planning this manicure for literally months, and yes, I bought the plate just for this occasion. My original plan was to use traditional red for the base color, and dark brown or black to stamp the mehndi-style designs. But thanks to Laurie the gradient queen at Dressed Up Digits, I decided to do a gradient of red and gold underneath the stamping. Here is how it came out:

The Bride's side

The Groom's Side

There's that beautiful bride again...

Such a handsome groom :)

Luckily, no nails broke, and for the most part the stamping went well. I was very proud to contribute a tiny part of the decorations for what was an incredibly beautiful day.

Sabrina, if you read this I want to echo the 7 blessings for you and your groom:


May this couple be blessed with an abundance of resources and comforts, and be helpful to one another in all ways.
May this couple be strong and complement one another.
May this couple be blessed with prosperity and riches on all levels.
May this couple be eternally happy.
May this couple be blessed with a happy family life.
May this couple live in perfect harmony… true to their personal values and their joint promises.
May this couple always be the best of friends.

Best wishes to you, and all of my love, always. :)

M.