And on this day, the first nikkah of our girl group happened.
It was a big moment not only for the bride, but for my friend group in attendance. Truthfully, it wasn’t a moment I would let pass, and I wasn’t even the photographer but I had to bring my best friend along for my first ever, Pakistani wedding.
Nikkah: a legal contract in marriage between a bride and her groom (in this case, its like an engagement, but they are legally married, and the wedding is next year. I’d be confused too, don’t worry). The nikkah officiates the marriage between two people, but some people hold off on the wedding part for a later date. Some people have the big wedding right after the contract is signed. This is dependent on the culture of the couple!
1. Attire means everything.
I opted for a Somali Dirac which, I was worried would be too fancy or taboo since I was wearing white, but turns out, white and gold was worn by many other ladies at the wedding. And, the bride didn’t even wear white.
2. The bride will wear the most beautiful dress you’ve ever seen.
The beadwork and the fabric of her dress were too stunning to look away.
*per the bride’s request, I did not include her face out of privacy. But she is beautiful, believe me.
3. Dancing is a key part of Pakistani weddings.
I didn’t get a chance to capture it, but the girls in attendance also performed dances to a lot of Bollywood songs in such rehearsed choreography.
4. Pakistani wedding food takes the gold.
I am a huge meat eater (I’m sorry vegetarians/vegans), but oh my god. This plate was so full of meat, I thought I was in heaven. Beef, chicken, lamb, I could not keep up!
And their sweets? Oh my god. Can it get any sweeter?? (I still couldn’t stop eating it though).
5. At the end of the day, weddings are the most wonderful experiences, and I wish all the best for my friend and her groom, may Allah bless them both with a happy and beautiful marriage insh’Allah <3
Wow – the photos here are absolutely beautiful, Yasmin! I love, love, love the attire you choose to wear and what the bride was wearing too.
Thank you so much!!!
What an amazing experience that must have been to be able to attend. I love all your pictures!
thank you!!
This looks absolutely amazing! What a fun wedding! I love hearing about other culture’s traditions like this.
Looks fun and beautiful! I love how various cultures do things different! So amazing! The food looks good too! I’m a big meat eater too!
I have heard from some of my friends, who attended a Pakistani wedding, how amazing they are. The attire and beadwork is so stunning. And looks like you had an really fabulous time!
Wow, what a beautiful wedding! That food looks amazing, and that is the way ALL wedding food should be! The attire is just gorgeous, and what you wore was perfect!
thank you!!!
This is so neat! I love how the attire and dancing is so important. The pictures are gorgeous.
How beautiful! I love seeing weddings from other cultures. The dancing looked like fun! You looked stunning.
This looks like it was such a lovely wedding. I love seeing and learning about cultures other than myown. They are all so different, but wonderful.
Beautiful photos and now I’m hungry. I didn’t know that about the nikkah. It looks similar, the beautiful colors, amazing food and sweets to an Indian wedding. My family is from India and it’s been years since I’ve been to an Indian wedding. Looks like we live in the same neck of the woods in NC or at least you’ve visited mine lately. 🙂
I do live in NC! My other best friend is Indian and I cannot wait til her wedding, its always so beautiful!
I love the outfits worn at these types of weddings. One of my friends is getting married and having a traditional Sikh ceremony and we’re all going traditional with our outfits to fit in with the attire and I am so excited x
That’s so exciting!! I’ve always wanted to see a sikh wedding, I hope you send me photos!
I’m always fascinated by how different cultures celebrate marriage. It’s interesting to see the similarities and differences across the board. I love the intricate beading and design of the Pakistani wedding clothes.
Congrats to your friend!!! What a beautiful wedding!!! Everything is so celebratory and I love how happy everyone is!
Yum the food first of all… YUM! I love this wedding so much! You can see how excited everyone is, the dress is gorgeous, and it looks like they’re all family!
This looks like a really lovely wedding! Your dress and the bride’s dress were both beautiful. And that food looks divine! Glad you enjoyed it.
Oh I love this! I remember seeing photos of my friends Indian wedding and the dresses were amazing! Totally bowled over by the design and details. Looks like an amazing experience
Such honor and tradition displayed. So beautiful! I love that centerpiece. Her Henna hands and her beautiful clothes.
What a beautiful experience. It’s so nice learning about other cultures because we wouldn’t experience it elsewhere. The wedding looked amazing!
Dancing is one of the best ways to celebrate such a joyful occasion. It looks like you had an amazing time there! Everything looks good, from the clothes to the food.
The attire is absolutely stunning, and the brides dress is definitely beautiful. The beaded work is so intricate and fabulous. It looks like it was such a fun celebration and wonderful day 🙂
I love all the detail on the dress. Attire should be ornate and have a lot of detail, especially when it comes to weddings and important celebrations like this.
This wedding looks like it was gorgeous. That food also looks like it was amazing!
Looks like loads of fun! Congrats to your friend!
Beautiful photos great comments