In Turkish, it’s called a merasim, the ceremony that joins a gelin and damat (bride and groom) in marriage.

At Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, it happens in the Wedding Garden, a 190-metre (623-foot) waterfront terrace landscaped in Ottoman style, with fountain, water features, lawns and decorative trees. This is where the sultans once summered, and it’s a fitting place for a festive garden wedding that becomes a torch-lit evening reception under the stars.

The bridal party may choose to arrive the way aristocrats of old once did – by boat. Then, once the guests have left and it’s just the newlyweds, the balayi, or honeymoon, begins in special suite for the happy couple.