My pakistani wedding

My Pakistani Wedding: Memories and Pictures from 2008

December is the official month of weddings in South Asia. My Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat is full of grand wedding pictures and videos. I was just talking to a cousin whose Shadi (wedding) I will be missing because we are not visiting Pakistan this December. All this makes me really miss shadis in Pakistan and especially my Pakistani Wedding. Sharing some thoughts, pictures and memories.

I got married in Pakistan exactly eight years ago on December 17, 2008. The days leading up to the wedding were busy. There was the added stress of leaving for Canada ten days after the festivities. I had assumed all my life that my wedding would be about me. However, as the days came closer I realized there was a force much bigger at play: the collective “Armaans” (wishes) of the immediate and extended family and the ever effective “Log kya kahein ge” (what will people say).

The actual days of the wedding were chaotic and the back-to-back functions of milad, mayon, mehndi, barat and valima extremely tiring. My husband and I had not even wanted a big wedding. Both of us had agreed that a small home rukhsati and then one reception would be great. However when the forces of “Armaans” and “Log kya kahein ge” combined, our wishes did not stand a chance.

By the time we sat on the plane to leave for Canada, I was on antibiotics but still coughing and totally exhausted after days of back-to-back dawats (big dinners) that followed the back-to-back wedding functions. In 2008 we did have Facebook but weddings weren’t played live on social media as they are now. Our wedding video was 3 hours long. Even I was yawning in the middle of it and never saw it again after the first time.

Over the years as I watched big and bigger weddings on social media through snippets and filters, my view of my own wedding grew bleaker. I thought of the makeup artist who went missing (yes, that happened), my terrible middle parting on the barat day, and how our wedding portrait poses were so fake/forced/filmy. I never brought the heavy wedding albums with me to Canada from Pakistan (in my defense, they weigh around 10 kg each). The wedding pictures we did get framed in Canada, were soon replaced with pictures with the children on the walls or placed in the basement to catch dust.

Today, I visited my wedding planning group on Facebook after ages. As I flipped through the pictures of my Pakistani wedding, I felt transported into a different world. When I was not a mother, or a wife. I was a girl, surrounded by loving family and friends starting a new journey. The best pictures and memories were not those perfectly posed wedding shoots but the random, blurry, out-of-focus pictures. The ones that showed the love, concern and participation of so many of my loved ones. I’m glad I took that journey today. It made me ever grateful for my imperfect perfect wedding and so many other blessings in my life.

So if you’re missing weddings in Pakistan this December or feeling over whelmed by the onslaught of designer joras, nikah masjid poses and Cinderella-themed dholkis on social media, join me as I share my favorite memories from my Pakistani Wedding through pictures and words.

My pakistani wedding

The wedding card that matched my barat dress through no planning of my own. Looks pretty cool now.

My pakistani wedding

Endless planning sessions around the dinner table that always ended up in more gupshup than planning. I loved how family got together from around the world for our wedding and all of us made memories for a lifetime.

My pakistani wedding

More planning, lots of knitting and many laughs around the heater in cold Islamabad winters. In this picture some ladies who are super close to my heart: My beloved Dadi, my dearest Phupo and my sister’s sweetest mother-in-law.

My pakistani wedding

Even the bride-to-be (that’s me!) gets card stuffing responsibilities.

My pakistani wedding

After years and years of dancing at other people’s mehndis, I got the chance to lash my bride-zilla whip and make these folks do (forced) dance practice.

My pakistani wedding

Being showered with love and duas at the milad before the functions started.

My pakistani wedding

Hershies instead of laddos at the mayon!

My pakistani wedding

Hanging out with the cutest men in the family (my mamoon, my father and my nephew) as the ladies sang on the beat of the “dholak”.

My pakistani wedding

Those priceless hugs. This very special one from my nani.

My pakistani wedding

Forget food fights. This is how you end up looking after the ladies are done with you, if you are the groom’s younger brother.

My pakistani wedding

Smarties instead of methai by the groom’s side at the Mehndi function – yoohoo! I didn’t mind getting my mouth stuffed by these at all.

My pakistani wedding

The beautiful mehndi platters that were a gift by a friend and were flown in especially from Lahore. Thankfully no hair or dupattas were burnt as the ladies brought them in, though that was quite the possibility for a few perilous seconds.

My pakistani wedding

Hanging out with my besties from school, college and work in the hotel room before going out for the mehndi. How I miss them all!

My pakistani wedding

The husband and my Mommy sharing a moment. Maybe she is warning him about me!

My pakistani wedding

The ever important “Luddi”.

My pakistani wedding

And the best dances are the unprepared ones. Dance practice is just to torture beloved friends and family.

My pakistani wedding

Crying buckets at the rukhsati and forever signing myself to the burden of crying at every rukhsati I witness because it reminds me of my Pakistani wedding!

My pakistani wedding

I thought my husband was joking when he warned me, but apparently his family takes the tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold of the new house very seriously. I was mortified and clenched my eyes shut. Makes a great picture in retrospect.

My pakistani wedding

The namaz (prayer) of shukrana (thanks) on the bride’s dupatta after the rukhsati, under the watchful eye of a room full of family. How’s that for performance pressure.

My pakistani wedding

Wearing the necklace and earrings my mother wore at her wedding at the Valima.

My pakistani wedding

Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohammad spinning their mystical magic at the Qawwali Night at my sister’s house post the main wedding functions.

My pakistani wedding

And this last one is my favourite picture of the wedding: my siblings by my side as they walked me to the stage on the day of the wedding. My sister like always watching over my shoulder and my brother ever so handsome wearing the sherwani my father wore on his wedding day. These two have always been the pillars of my strength, mashaAllah.

As I reflected on my best memories from my Pakistani wedding I realized it wasn’t about the makeup, the hair or the perfect flower arrangement but about family and the simple joy of being with loved ones. And I’m forever grateful to God for giving me these blessings.

Hope you enjoyed these memories from my Pakistani wedding. What are your favorite memories from your wedding?

29 thoughts on “My Pakistani Wedding: Memories and Pictures from 2008

  1. Beautiful wedding Tam, ur pics took me back to the memories of my own rukhsati. What an emotional time it is for the bride. Lovely pictures and u looked beautiful on all the days mash Allah.

  2. Oh my God you took me eight years back ….so beautifully explained…. while reading I felt same pain of sending you too far but also thankful to God that he blessed me a loving and caring son…May God always keep you & your family happy healthy and flourish…

  3. Beautifully written. Brought so many memories of my own wedding. You looked beautiful and loved seeing how all the traditional elements incorporated through out the wedding.

  4. I really like all the pictures and the write up , thanks for sharing your precious moments. Btw I completely love your centre parting look on the big day ; the monochrome dress , traditional jewellery and the complete look was so traditional yet so refreshing. You looked do naturally beautiful as a bride not the typical over made up or over stylized look . The only issues I had were with chocolates instead of our delicious mithaies.Good work ! Keep ’em coming .

  5. You have brought back such Amazingly beautiful memories. All the hungama ,the laughter, mehandi, dances and dresses.
    Such lovely pics of your lovely wedding.such a traditional beautiful bride you were ! MA 🙂

  6. Beautiful mashallah tamania my wedding date is also 17 December we have same wedding date yeeeee

  7. Loved reading it…:) Such a lovely summary of a Pakistani Wedding and I so agree the best memories have nothing to do with the things we were most stressed about at that time.

    Fyi, my daughter is a big fan of yours and always says” I wish I can have a playdate with urdu mom and Zainab!”

  8. Perfect pics tamania … no one can ever forget these unforgettable moments … aftr my weddng i have lost many family members of mine all close to my heart ❤❤?thats y i dont want to open up my albums?? well u really looked pretty ???

  9. I am smiling and crying.good thing its only 5 am here.and everyone is asleep.lovely writing as always.stay blessed

  10. Looking at all these moments is so nostalgic. No wonder having a loving husband and cute kids do not leave time for women to loiter in our girl days but when we do manage to get sometime off our daily hectic routine we do feel drawn to these carefree days.

  11. Hy Tasmania I just read this blog and really loved the way u wrote it u bring me to the beautiful memories of my own wedding, i was also feeling sad as my family in Pak is planing my cusons marriage in coming December, iam not going to be the part of his wedding then I came through ur blog start reading it,I must say u really have strong speech and writing skills. I think Iam becoming ur biggest fan. I Wish Allah Pak always keep you safe from an evil eye. Stay blessed always dear.

  12. Lovely photos and memory also very well written. Guess what, my inlaws have the same tradition of carrying the bride into house and I also thought my husabnd to be is joking about the whole thing and when he actually did I was like OMG is that a bollywood movie ?

  13. I love love this MashaAllah! Im getting married soon InshaAllah and this made my heart melt!! If you dont mind, could you please explain the ‘namaz on dulhans dupatta’ and the floral sehra on the rukhsati? Is there special meaning behind it because i would love to incorporate these in my wedding! Thankyou!

  14. So beautiful thank you very much for sharing I am so much glad to check it dear.
    How beautiful it is.
    Well, we are providing a platform for those who want to search online and marry with your life partner so why not you can join shadi.pk so that we will solve your problem according to your choice and demands

  15. So beautifully written. It was refreshing after reading it.
    Keep writing more and more ❤️

  16. That took me back to the days when my sisters got married.By the way I didnt get to enjoy my wedding because i got married the very next day i approved the rishta. Yes ,it was done in a day because my husband was coming back to Canada the same week we got married.

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