Happy Monday, ladies! We hope your week has been off to a great start! Ours has just been brightened up with your lovely company because we were dying to share Aisha & Aamer's intimate wedding celebration with all of you. Every single shot captured by Maria Fasih Studios overflows with beauty and traditional flair, and we cannot stress how much we love them! Just take a look at how beautiful our lovely Aisha looked. Simply amazing! But there is no surprise as she had the best allies by her side: Makeup by Iram in the beauty department, Saira Shakira and Faiza Saqlain taking care of her fashion needs, and Hanif Diamond Jewellers for the dazzling pieces of jewelry. What else can you ask for! Due to the emergence of COVID, these lovebirds tried to keep this wedding small and intimate. Still, it ended up being a dream come true. After all, it was our lovely Maharai who planned and designed every bit of this wedding. She had a vision of how she wanted her dream wedding to be, so she took the wheel to make it happen. How amazing is that! To achieve the final result, she brought Sarah Khan Event Styling to take care of the stage decor. And what a great decision it was as the talent they have in creating magical settings is out of the question, and this time was no exception! Ladies, if you can't get enough of this lovely wedding, make sure to visit today's gallery for a full reveal of all the charm and beauty that surrounded it. We are sure you are going to love it!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met 10 years ago not knowing that we'd ever be together. Life took us in different directions until we reconnected last year. Things didn't instantly click but when they did we moved forward very quickly. I travel a lot for work and personally, and I knew I didn't want to continue seeing the world without him.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We had been openly talking about marriage and one day just asked our families to meet. With the overwhelming love support of our families we decided to move forward with their blessing. We were very traditional with it and I wouldn't change a thing.
Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.
Wedding planning took a gigantic pivot due to the pandemic. We originally had a 2 day wedding planned for May in Chicago with our entire families from all over the states. We cancelled early on but didn't think we'd be able to reschedule. We ended up rescheduling 3 weeks prior to our wedding day in September and switched it up to my home in Virginia with only 21 guests. As soon as the wedding date was fixed, I knew I couldn't just have a regular party at home. It had to have all the details and love put into it. I didn't want aamer to feel that we didn't have the wedding he's always wanted with all our family and friends. I kicked it into high gear and DIY'd allot of the details in the wedding. From wedding favors, to desserts, gifts, lighting and florals. I wasn't too familiar with the vendors in the DMV area since I haven't lived here too long so I searched high and low on instagram for vendors that fit my aesthetic. Hiring Maria Fasih was an easy tough decision. In one conversation with her I knew she understood my vision and could execute. One of my friend's had to convince me to just with her and don't think twice and I'll be happy with the results. She was right, Maria and her team did a fantastic job and everyone at the wedding loved her professionalism.
I got lucky that I was able to do most of my shopping prior to the pandemic. I had a nikkah and reception outfit ready to go. I just needed my house to match my vibe. I wanted a simple and clean nikkah ceremony. I opted for a cream silk gown and wore my mother's wedding jewelry. I didn't want the outfit to compete with the jewelry and I made baby's breath and rose wrist garlands to go with my floral decor.
For the evening reception I wanted aamer and I to look like royalty. He had an understated but classic self embroidered black on black sherwani which paired well with my over the top egg white gown. I wanted modern jewelry for the reception because my mother's set for the nikkah was traditional multani jewelry.
Sarah Khan events styling was a fabulous vendor that worked around all the DIY details we had going on. Amena and sarah both from that team were fantastic, professional, and really went above and beyond making sure everything looked classy yet magical. In the short period of time and one phone call, they really delivered exactly what I wanted down to every rose.
The beauty about having an at home wedding was I was able to really have an intimate time with everyone that was there. Something I probably couldn't have had we had a larger wedding. I was also able to focus on all the little details and my entire house was decorated in fresh florals. Something that was much more doable since it was at home. I didn't think I would be able to pull off a modern classy rustic farmhouse vibe in a tent on my deck in the backyard. But with only 21 guests, I was able to manage all those fine details and having a small wedding turned into a blessing. I knew I needed roses, lots and lots of baby's breath, and eucalyptus. I love the simplicity of combining greenery with roses.
For makeup, I did my own makeup and hair for the nikkah. I knew I wanted to look like myself during the nikkah. When I look back at the ceremony pictures years later I'll know I had a no makeup makeup look that will remain timeless. I know about of bride's are into certain makeup trends these days, but I really recommend trying to be simple and subtle one of your events. That way you look timeless when you look back.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted to go with a lighter color. I didn't think I wanted white, but when I walked into the saira shakira bridal studio and saw this gown I knew this is what I wanted with no changes. For my nikkah dress, I wanted to go with cream, and wanted something very simple that wouldn't overpower my mother's wedding jewelry. I opted to wear her wedding jewelry for the nikkah and knew I wanted something clean and simple.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part was to see how everyone enjoyed everything during the wedding. I didn't go through all that for myself. It was all for Aamer, and to see how happy he was, I would do it again... Maybe. It was a lot of work in a short amount of time. The best part was when my cousins all came in the day before to help out with the final details. It was a girl power moment when we put together the fairy light tunnel up in the front entrance. That was a labor of love and so satisfying to know that I did that with a team of my cousins.
My family was amazing for risking traveling during these pressing times to be there for me. I couldn't invite everyone but in spirit mine and Aamer's friends and family were all there with us.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Everything. I'm still amazed at how beautiful everything turned out. And I get super happy to know that everyone you came enjoyed themselves. I think the best part was how happy the attendees on Zoom were. Two of my cousins did a fabulous job documenting the entire wedding for our zoom guests. We had 173 participants log in which means allot more people were able to virtually attend the wedding. I'm so grateful for how technology allowed us to still share everything with everyone that couldn't come because of the pandemic.
I think the guests made the party what the party was, and I hope they know they were the best part.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Everything keeps playing over and over again. How great the food was, the fireworks, the smoke bombs, the lovely video Aamer's friends made for us, and the speeches. My sister in law cried while talking about me during her speech which I thought was so sweet. and I can't stop replaying that over and over again. But most importantly, I can't stop being happy about how happy Aamer was. That alone was worth everything. I know Aamer's family was sad it was a small affair since he comes from a large family. But I'm happy they were happy with how everything worked out. No one missed a beat because of the zoom meeting we had set up. We were also able to interact with everyone on the call.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
If you're a covid bride, don't get caught up on theb limitations you have with your wedding because of the pandemic. Focus on you, your spouse, and those that are fortunate to be there for you on your lucky day. Smaller weddings can be a blessing because you are able to do things that you wouldn't be able to do if you had to do it on a larger scale. Don't forget that people can still attend your wedding virtually and enjoy your special day up close and personal. Whatever you do invest in your photographer. These are the memories that you will cherish and you want to be sure they are captured true to detail. Pandemic weddings are hard to plan because you never know what obstacle you'll hit a month before, a week before even a day before. Be sure you are asking your vendors to add a covid clause to your contracts. Don't get locked in with nonrefundable deposits that dictate which vendors you'll have to work with if you have to reschedule.
Try your best to get enough sleep! No amount of makeup will replace a good night's rest. Lean on family and friends for help even if they can't make your wedding.
We hope you have a great week! Don't forget to join us every day for an extra dose of inspiration.
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