“Marriages are like fingerprints; each one is different and each one is beautiful,” – Maggie Reyes
wedding
Pakistani weddings are all about glitz and glamour and celebrations. They are grand affairs consisting of colourful rituals and traditions. A typical Pakistani wedding contains vibrant shades of ceremonies – starting from mayoon to valima. Pakistani weddings are explosions of colour, beautifully embroidered flowing fabrics in silks and chiffon, tantalising food, traditionally decorated stages, and a lot of music and dancing.
Usually, the marriage ceremonies are not done on a single day but the festivities go on for three to four days and sometimes a week. The marriage events start with dholki – accompanied with singing and dancing. This function is mostly arranged at bride and groom’s houses with only close family and friends in attendance. Then comes mayoon which is hosted by the bride’s side. The bride wears a yellow outfit which is the hallmark of mayoon. This function makes the bride bound to stay at home till the wedding day. In all wedding events, mehendi is the much anticipated event as it is filled with lots of fun and joyful activities like singing and dancing. The bride’s hands and feet are applied with mehendi and the cousins and friends perform group and solo dances. The conventional colour for a mehendi is green, however, over the years this has changed and various mehendi themes have been adopted. These include a multi-coloured theme, a majestic Mughal theme and many more depending on the bride’s preference.
Then comes the big day. A wedding day is most likely to be one of the most treasured days in a bride’s life. For many brides, this signals the start of a dream come true. Stunning, beautiful, daring and out-of-the-world, is what every bride desires to be on her special day. The most significant part of the wedding ceremony is the nikkah. The wedding day is followed by valima, hosted by groom’s side. A grand reception is usually arranged for the guests. Valima is the culmination of wedding festivities.
Capturing all moods of wedding
Wedding designers are coming up with innovative ideas like Ansab Jahangir whose brand has always been about glamour and drama. In her bridal collection DIA, she has designed fanciful wedding attires for every occasion. The collection presents tremendous cultural allure. The occasions cherished are the traditions that have grown on vines, including beautiful moments from the Mayoon to the Mehendi and Nikkah, akin to seasons throughout the year. The collection embodies a whimsical experience with a fun spirit, indulging in musings and laughter with sisters, bridesmaids and family; featuring Ayeza Khan, Anila Murtaza, Sona Memon, Hiba Khan and Manal Tabani. With a wondrous array of colour, joy and lush greenery, Ansab Jahangir’s bridal collection promises an enthralling adventure with the special people in our lives, commemorating an eternal bond with utmost elegance and refined grace. DIA has an illustrious range full of vibrancy which matches the festivities, whether it be for a blissful Nikkah, subtle yet charming engagement, or a bright and cheerful Mehendi, the collection covers all the aspects of what a bride-to-be would ideally desire!
Bright lehengas: While much of the world has embraced small, minimalist weddings, keeping the pandemic in mind, Pakistani brides have not compromised on their wedding joras – complete with multiple dupattas embellished in heavy jewels and gold. With less of a budget has allotted towards guests and a large venue, more has been given to the bride’s outfit. Of late we have seen most colourful and heavily-embellished lehengas in intimate weddings of today. Moreover, we have also seen multicoloured looks in fabrics, but multicoloured embroidery is extra luxurious for the bride who might be looking for an opulent way to play on the colourful trend. Whether you love playing with colours or are just plain indecisive, there are multiple ways to play with versatile lehengas or with more subtle pastels depending on your style.
Intimate weddings: Gone are the days of weddings with hundreds of guests that the bride and groom barely know. Today’s weddings are all about intimacy (thanks to pandemic) with fewer guests but more time the couple can spend with their closest friends and family members. Instead of heavy decoration, we see simple arrangements of flowers and leaves, inserting lots of greenery with minimalist vibes.
Lighting can really make or break the ambiance of your celebration, which is why intimate lighting options such as candelabras, delicate string lights, tons of tea lights, and luminaries serve as main lighting sources.
Braided beauty: Braids are all the rage for stunning hairstyles. Gone are the days of hard-as-nails up-dos, and instead the wispy romance of braids can be found in French, fishtail and crown styles interwoven with flower buds or crystals.
Drone photography: Drones offer couples unique wedding photography options, bringing a birds-eye view to the ceremony and reception. These stunning photos capture moments of the wedding in beautiful ways, and can also be used for fun group wedding shots not just of the bridal party, but of all the guests together.
Follow your heart: The best trend to follow is whatever your heart desires to make your day special, unique and memorable, whether it is a new fad or a centuries-old custom. Daring brides and grooms may even start their own unique trends as they celebrate!
Credits
Text: Nida Mohsin
Designer: Ansab Jahangir
Photography: Alee Hassan
Styling: Anila Murtaza
Jewellery: Hamna Amir Jewelry
Models: Ayeza Khan, Anila Murtaza, Sona Memon, Hiba Khan and ManalTabani
