Cheryl Cole is reportedly hoping to be a bridesmaid at Simons Cowell's wedding, but which one? According to his brother, the media mogul is planning to get married four times – "once in Brighton, once in LA, once in Barbados on a yacht and once in Hollywood".
Some may be amazed by the extravaganza, but to me it seems about right. Go to any Asian wedding in the UK and three ceremonies is a minimum requirement, while some weddings can go on for months.
Even my sister's marriage – low key by Pakistani standards – went on until we all ran out of party clothes. In the run-up, there were dholkis – small dancing and singing parties traditionally accompanied by a dhol drum. In between these, we squeezed in the civil ceremony at the register office. Then came the Mehndi ceremony – where henna is painted on the bride's hands and feet, and the bride and groom's family try to outdo each other in singing and dancing.
Next day there was the Islamic marriage ceremony, and afterwards a traditional English wedding breakfast and reception.
Finally, just in case the happy couple were missing being the centre of attention, there was the Walima, hosted by the groom's family to welcome the bride into his home.
Of course Cowell's guests should be warned – four weddings quadruples the chances of a family row. Elizabeth Hurley spent five days marrying Indian businessman Arun Nayar and during the course of their two-continent wedding, which included fire eaters, 10 page boys and events at several castles, his father got so annoyed he told the Daily Mail he was disowning them.
