You can have family members or relatives that got married abroad in a non-traditional ceremony or foreign friends whose weddings you attended to support them on their big day but one thing is for sure – you have never attended a wedding as great as the traditional kind that happens in Pakistan. With tens of things happening at the same time – grownups all working together and contributing to the hundreds of pending tasks, kids running around and playing, girls practicing their vocals around the dholki, and boys either dancing their hearts out or acting as the official drivers of all the family members – there is not a boring moment in a Pakistani ‘Shaadi wala ghar.’
Read on as we discuss some of the reasons desi weddings are the absolute best and bring back tons of memories from your favorite ones
- All the Colors on the Spectrum
If you have been to even one desi wedding in your life, you will know that there is nothing more colorful and more exciting. The official wedding usually begins with the mayun and everywhere you look, there is yellow, joy, brightness, and laughter. Then comes the mehndi, where the themes nowadays revolve around the colors orange, green, blue, and, well, any color the bride or groom chooses for their big day. But one thing’s for sure – there are bright colors everywhere you look. This is followed by the red and white themes of the Rukhsati, along with other more creative options nowadays. The valima sees a lot of variation from many brides and grooms choosing pastel themes to some going for more vibrant options.
- The Festivity and Excitement
As we mentioned, there is not a single boring moment in a Shaadi household in Pakistan. Something or the other is always happening, whether it is the bride getting emotional thinking of leaving her parents, the kids deciding they have been let loose in a playground or the siblings and cousins thinking they are super humans and dancing way into the night, EVERY night. While things do get a little sensitive, tiring, and tense at times, the overall atmosphere is that of joy, festivity, and lots of excitement!
- The Finger-Licking Good Food!
Pakistanis have a soft corner in their hearts when it comes to ‘shaadi ka khana’ or wedding food. To be honest, food is one of the major reasons many people attend weddings at all. From the delicious halwa puri, tikka boti or seekh kebab served at the mehndi to the delicious biryani, qorma, BBQ, fish, and many more items on the rukhsati or valima menu, you are in for at least 2 or 3 days of really good food!
- The Entire Family Gathering for the Event
Whenever we think of a wedding in the family or one of close friends, we automatically think of a house full of people and never quiet. But why is it like that? Because all the relatives and friends of the bride or groom will gather to support them on their big day, no matter how far away they live or how busy their routine is. And that is the beauty of a desi family.
- A Surplus of Selfies to Last You a Year
This is a given! With events (formal and informal) that go on for approximately a week and ample opportunity to get dolled up and pretty (or handsome), the urge to take hundreds of selfies is understandable. So if you are always struggling to find a decent display or the perfect picture to put up on your friend’s or cousin’s birthday, a wedding is where you fix this problem!
- The Last-Minute Preparations
Although the last-minute preparations can be quite stressful, especially if they have to do with the bride or groom themselves, they do account for a lot of laughs in a truly taxing environment. With the bridesmaid’s dupatta missing at the last moment to the entire family looking for a lost shoe (there is always a lost shoe!), laughs are exchanged, fun is had, and memories are made.
- The Sneak-Outs
If you have ever stayed in a Pakistani household during a wedding, you will know that convincing the elders to let the young ones go out for a hangout is next to impossible. And if they can’t be convinced, there is only one thing left to do. And we don’t mean going to bed! Is a Pakistani wedding even complete if all the cousins and friends do not sneak out for a midnight party before the wedding, the bride usually in her mayun clothes and everyone else in PJ’s? The memories that are created during this entire adventure are enough to last you a lifetime!
- Ending Note
The wedding season is upon us and the best way to welcome it is to promise yourself that you will have lots of fun, enjoy delicious food, look your best, and make tons of memories along the way. Because after all, that is what desi weddings are all about!
