Hi! I’m Safa. I’m a 20-something, Canadian-Pakistani, Toronto-based writer and bride-to-be. And this is a blog is about my upcoming big fat Pakistani wedding (BFPW). (Consider the acronym officially coined!)
“When’s the big day!?” is a fairly simple question that is asked of brides-to-be. And typically, the anticipated answer is straightforward: a date. One date.
Unless you’re having a Big Fat Pakistani Wedding (BFPW). Which, I am.
So, when I’m asked “when’s the big day!?” my first response is usually “well, the big dayS are August 29, August 30, and September 1st …not including all of the functions before and after.” When there are looks of awe I proceed to offer this explaination… “I’m having a Big Fat Pakistani Wedding!”
It’s this type of distinction that was part of the inspiration for this blog. Between explaining to my co-workers that I’m taking a month off to go ‘wedding shopping’ in Lahore to making all of my non-Pakistani friends understand that they will be performing choreographed Bollywood dance routines (ahem, sober) in a dance-off against my fiancé’s family (and I’m expecting them to win)…I thought this blog could act as a bit of a guide for my oh so many non-Pakistani friends 🙂
Plus, the timing is perfect. I’m about to leave for my shopping excursion in Lahore and this blog can be a platform for real-time, on-the-ground updates of the ever-changing and brilliant Pakistani fashion scene. At the same time, this blog will definitely cover the full spectrum of planning that’s gone into my BPFW in Toronto since my engagement in September 2011, and so hopefully will also be helpful to my fellow South Asian brides-to-be. And of course, what would be a wedding blog without mention of weight loss?! (The common thread that, for better or worse, connects all the ladies – Pakistani or not; engaged or not!)
So with that said, I’m excited to take you on the journey that is My Big Fat Pakistani Wedding! Welcome!
~Safa
mybigfatpakistani 
I cannot wait for the dance-off Safa!
I cannot wait to see you, I feel like you will be kick-ass!! 🙂
hi, I loooveee your mehndi dress. I wanted to know where you got it from? store name and address perhaps. thank youuuuu
Hey Madiha! Thaaanks!! Im pretty sure the store name is Laal Chunariya and its in Liberty market in Lahore!
thank you so much! I appreciate it. I am actually going to pak in feb for wedding. I am definetly gona check out chunariya. I was surfing around for bridal dresses and I like this dress of zainab chothani.
http://globalemag.com/zainab-chottani-bridal-collection-2013-for-women/zainab-chottani-bridal-collection-2013-for-women-006/
but I dono where to get it from. I emailed the designer and she said its $5000. and don’t uthink its too much? I mean if I go personaly to the store and buy it will it be $5000? and did u by any chance see anything like this dress? and what shops u sugest for bridal dresses/walima. sorry for this long comment I am sooo lost cuz I dono anything there.
I also printed pics of dresses I wana get it made – I heard some tailors can make replicas of dresses u show them but im scared if they turn out bad. any ideas on that?
I greatly appreciate ur help. and I wish u all the best in ur life –
Hi Madiha, I know the feeling of how overwhelming it can be! I was definitely shocked when I heard what the designer prices are. Unfortunately that is the reality of their pricing – some designers like Mehdi start at $4000 and go up to $12000! So you definitely have to start by figuring out your budget. I know I personally set my budget for the shaadi jora at $1500, and I ended up going a little over that – but I got mine from Karma, their fitting was impeccable, the kaam was so neat, I had no stress that I would have to be scared of the end product and they actually had it ready for me in 2 weeks so that I could take it home. So for me all those factors made it worth it. Plus when I went to Liberty stores like Zardozi, Saleem Fabrics, they were all saying over 1 lakh ($1100) for bridal so for me if I was spending in that range anyway we juat decided to go the designer route and I loved my jora it was actually the first dress I tried on! So I would recommended karma because I had a great experience with Huma there and they are willing to work within your budget. Try doing some research on up and coming designers because they tend to have lower prices. You can have things copied, on one of my blog posts I posted a cream outfit with an off the shoulder neckline I had that copied from Subhaans in Liberty but it did take many trips back and forth to get right so it also depends on how long you are there for if you are going to do that for bridal. In any case with bridals you dont just go to the store and buy it, its custom made to your size so you place the order and then they tell you how long it will be (usually a few months and they mail it to you is standard if you go back home). also if you do want to go through designers you have to make appointments with them in advance call a couple weeks ahead of time to set them up! Once youre in pk youll see all the options essentially Liberty is the hub of all your bridal options and all those stores have mannequins of work they have done and then you can work with them to modify things you may want to change (like what I did for my mehndi dress -I changed the colours around) personally for bridal I think thats better than doing a designer copy (that just feels too risky to me for the bridal because if it doesn’t look like what you wanted youll be so disappointed) but if you go to the stores in Liberty those are their designs so they know them and how to have them made. Anyway thats my two cents! I never cared about designer names or anything ( a nice dress is a nice dress) and if I had seen one I loved like I did for the mehndi I would have got it in the same way, its just that that didnt happen for the bridal for me at least! Good luck and dont worry every thing will work out iA you have to go in with that mindset 🙂
omg. thank you sooo much. I really appreciate all ur help.
No problem! So happy to help:)
Safa, I love your blog, you have really helped me to get a handle on our Pakistani traditions but also having the modern twist, which is what I am aspiring to. Thanks for the inspiration!! All the best x
Aw thanks Nafeesa! I’m so glad you’re finding it helfpul, so nice to hear!:)
I am a Pakistani Toronto guy getting married next month, and I found this blog by accident (as I was searching where to buy fancy bride groom chairs).
MA what a blog you have here! I have to commend you on your writing. You have captured the moments and the fine details of your journey. Well done and good luck with everything!
Hey FD, thanks so much for your comment!! Congrats on your upcoming shaadi and good luck finding those fancy chairs 🙂