She was born in Sweden, but raised in Santa Clarita since she was a year old. He was born in Bangladesh, and raised in the city of Los Angeles. Despite being countries apart at birth, the two eventually met and their love continues to blossom.
It was in 2005, at a Bangladesh musical function where Jenisa, the daughter of Santa Clarita resident and active community member Moazzem Chowdhury, and Rabin Zaman met. While it may not have been love at first sight, their friendship slowly developed into more.
On April 28, 2013, surrounded by friends, Rabin asked for Jenisa’s hand in marriage. After a year of planning, the two wed at the end of November, just last year. The traditional wedding and celebration took place over a three-day celebration, beginning with the Mehndi Night, which took place on November 27, where the girls got henna done on their hands. The following day was the Gaye Holud and then on November 28, the reception.
Beautifully adorned from head to toe, Jenisa was a stunning bride. “I bought all the decoration pieces and pure gold jewelry from Bangladesh.” The saris (traditional dresses) were worn by the women and panjabis (traditional suits) by the men. These were all worn at the Hyatt for the Gaye Holud, a day before the wedding. The Gaye Holud is a ceremony, which is part of a series of traditional wedding celebrations with the Indian culture.
The celebration continued the next day at the Castaway Restaurant in Burbank. The extravagant reception was nothing short of gorgeous perfection. Complete with intricate beading throughout, Jenisa’s elegant yet traditional gown had a double layered skirt and train. The blouse, which was custom made to fit the bride, came from India and blended perfectly with the skirt.
“We had the traditional custom of the husband looking into a mirror to see his wife and describe how he feels when he is looking at her in that moment and the wife follows. We toasted with a traditional drink and put floral garlands around each other. The reception also had a gate holding, where the bride’s family does not let the groom’s family in until the groom pays a suitable amount of money to cut the ribbon and enter the reception hall. The money is then dispersed amongst the bride’s family members who helped throughout the wedding.”
She continues, “Some of my favorite moments of our reception (which was held the day after the wedding ceremony) was our first dance, the surprise dance performance my husband gave me to an Indian love song, and our flash mob to A Little Party Never Killed Nobody from the Great Gatsby soundtrack.”
Less than two months after the beautiful wedding reception the newlyweds are still happily in love. “Jenisa is my best friend, my partner in crime, and the love of my life,” states Rabin. “I am truly blessed to have met such a wonderful person. She is the best thing that has happened to me. She is smart, beautiful kind, and her smile can brighten up the darkest of days. She’s my little chicken.”
“Rabin loves to goof around and constantly tease me about me becoming a chicken one day because I love chicken so much!” Jenisa continues, “On a more serious note, he is someone who will do anything for the people he loves and he is someone you will always be able to count on. I love that he is the most honest person I know and we both share the same sense of morals and ethics when it comes to how we treat people and carry ourselves. What I love even more about him is that he understands my craziness and weirdness and it doesn’t hurt that he is my very own amazing chef (can cook any type of food, Bengali included)! He is my best friend and the love of my life!”
Congratulations on your recent wedding, Jenisa and Rabin! May you two enjoy a lifetime full of love and happiness!
photos by Michael Anthony Photography