A Pakistani wedding is the ultimate celebration of love in this rich and ancient culture. Traditionally, a typical wedding includes four different ceremonies on different days. In each, the bride wears something different, providing a wide array of Pakistani wedding dresses for guests to admire. Below is a short description of each aspect of every day included in Pakistan’s wedding traditions, as well as details in regards to the bride’s attire.
Mehndi
Mehndi is a ceremony that takes place one or two days before the main wedding. The families of the bride and groom bring dessert-themed foods and henna for the opposing side, and the betrothed couple celebrates separately, each with friends and family. The wedding dress for this day will typically be either a green dress or one with yellow and orange fabrics. Makeup is very simple, and this dress is beautiful, yet not over the top.
Dholki
This ceremony includes singing traditional Pakistani wedding songs and celebrating with percussion instruments. Here, a Pakistani bride will almost always wear a traditional yellow outfit. This is complimented with floral henna designs, sometimes including the groom’s name worked into the artwork. A bride will also wear a veil with her yellow wedding dress.
Nikah and ShaadiThis is the official Islamic marriage ceremony that commences in the home o the bride. Family and friends attend this, and the men and women are often separated. After this, Shaadi takes place. This is the Pakistani form of a wedding reception. Here, the bride wears a gharara, which consists of a purple, red or pink tunic that ends above the knee, a veil and wide-legged pants.
Pakistani Bride
It is all decorated with Zari, a gold and silver wire woven directly into the fabric, and Zardozi, which is another variant of typical embroidery. Many other bright colors may be incorporated into this bridal attire, but it completely depends upon the bride’s choosing. No matter what color scheme is chosen, the Pakistani wedding gowns and outfits worn on this day include a large amount of gold jewelry.
ValimaOn this final day, the couple throws a dinner party together as officially husband and wife. Here a bride will wear, once again, plenty of gold jewelry paired with a dress in varying pastel shades.
