Wedding

NIKKAH, RECEPTION, ATER PARTY

December 22, 2020

The most magical day of my life.

NIKKAH CEREMONY

The Nikkah which is the Islamic marriage ceremony was held on the garden lawn at the Ritz Carlton. There was a violinist, entrances, and then the nikkah ceremony.

This event ended up being a little hectic due to the weather. It started sprinkling right as guests started arriving to the garden! The hotel immediately accommodated to the weather conditions by bringing out umbrellas and there was already a shawl station for the ladies that ended up being extremely useful! So grateful for how my event coordinators handled this situation. We got lucky that it didn’t start pouring until a little after the ceremony while we were taking photos!

As far as decor goes, I will admit I was a little thrown off by a few details being different thatn I had expected. For example, I thought the floral around the ceremony structure was going to be a consistent dark pink color and that the aisle was going to be a more structured material. I was initially a little disappointed however, I quickly got over it as I realized that these were details that only I knew of! There’s no point in sweating the small stuff because at the end of the day, those details did not make a difference on how perfect the ceremony was <3

The Nikkah was one of the most surreal moments of my life. I experienced so many of the strongest emotions I have ever felt. All of the anticipation and anxiety building up to walking down the aisle, seeing Usman for the first time, and pure happiness of walking down the aisle together as husband and wife <3

COCKTAIL HOUR

Following the Nikkah, we took a few photos while our guests went off to enjoy cocktail hour. When Usman and I wrapped up photos, I had us swing by the cocktail hour because I had a little surprise there for him! I had hired a graffiti artist to do a live painting that now sits nicely hung in our home. Usman and I both have always loved graffiti and this was such a perfect touch not only as entertainment but also just a little surprise I thought would mean a lot to him. The graffiti artist recreated his own version of the “before I die” artwork that Usman initially asked me to be his girlfriend at and also proposed to me with. The “before I die” artwork incorporated two rings to symbolize our marriage and it’s artwork that I will cherish forever!

In addition to the graffiti artist, we had refreshments and hors d'oeuvres being passed around, a touch up station, and the violinist continued performing throughout cocktail hour. The touch up station was an idea I had about two weeks before the wedding. I figured after being outside during the ceremony, our guests may want to touch up with hair products, makeup, or just take a look at themselves in the mirror. This was a fun little set up that ended up being a hit!

RECEPTION

Following cocktail hour, we had an outdoor tented reception that was held on a different larger garden lawn at the hotel. The set up was everything I had expected and more!

Due to weather conditions, we did have to make a few adjustments to the tent a few days before but everything still came together beautifully! It was filled with floral garlands, twinkle lights, and the set up transformed as the sun set. It was truly my DREAM wedding decor <3

The reception felt so intimate filled with love surrounded by our family and close friends. The itinerary consisted of a few fun bridesmaids/groomsmen entrances, speeches, first dance, cake cutting, and dinner! I had a little surprise dance that my dad and I planned that was based off a home video we had even played for our guests (one of my favorite parts of the reception) it was so fun and a memory I’ll cherish with my dad forever!

Usman and I did not want to have a stage this day either. If you’re not familiar, at a lot of Pakistani and Indian weddings the bride and groom sit on a stage at the reception. Throughout the event, guests usually go up to the stage, take photos with the couple, etc. Instead of a stage, we had an elevated sweetheart table that only allowed enough room for Usman and myself. We did this so that we were only sitting there for speeches and dinner. The rest of the evening we walked around meeting with our guests at their seats!

AFTER PARTY

The reception was followed by a super LIT after party which ended up being a lot of our guests’ favorite part of the weekend! HUGE shout out to our planners with coming up with such an incredible idea for this event. Sarasota is known for their circus and so BTS had put together a circus themed after party. Our guests had no idea what to expect as Usman and I hadn’t disclosed much. There were cotton candy and popcorn servers dressed in circus attire, a candy bar, milk and cookie shots, balloon instillations, a drummer, DJ booth, and lots of food!

One of the best parts about the after party that was completely unplanned is that all of our guests ended up changing into comfy attire! We figured everyone was going to head straight over to the main ballroom from the reception. But somehow, everyone quickly changed and it couldn’t have been a better idea.

After an event filled weekend with lots of dressing up, everyone loosened up and went WILD. My husband even took over as DJ at one point and played his own set that he had saved for the after party! It was seriously the best way to end a perfect weekend.

A HUGE THANK YOU

A wedding is nothing without the amazing vendors that are involved! Our vendors played such a significant role in during the most memorable and insane weekend of our lives and we are forever grateful to them for it! <3

I especially have to thank the team at BTS Event Management for playing the most critical role in design, decor, operations, logistics, and just about any detail you can possibly think. The worked endlessly the months leading up to the wedding and during our wedding weekend. Trista, Alex, Storm, and their team absolutely KILLED IT. I’m so grateful to have worked with a team as incredible as theirs. There was never any idea of mine (no matter how last minute) that they would shut down! They were always willing to make anything happen and had so many incredible ideas of their own that they implemented throughout the weekend. Lastly, they took such great care of Usman, myself, and our families throughout the weekend and we are so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them!

Design & Coordination: @btseventmanagement

Photography & Videography: @miranwarstudios

Hair & Makeup: @fashionfacebeauty

Floral: @botanicadesign

Decor: @prashe

DJ: @karmadjusa

Stationary: @minted