Indian designers watch out! Pakistanis are now eying the Indian bridal wear market with their ethnic lehngas, sarees and embroidered suits.

The Pakistanis may not be as bold as our desi designers in creating the outfits but their bridal creations are very much in demand in India, says Nadia Lakdawala, a Pakistani designer.

“Our mehndi and bridal collection, trousseau, lehngas, shalwar kameez are all very traditionally made, with lot of hand embroidery, which Indian women like a lot,” says Lakdawala, who was here recently to participate in an exhibition.

Marriages feature as the most important event in a person’s life in practically all civilized cultures, since time long gone by. In our part of the world, especially, wedding ceremonies have always tended to be elaborate affairs spreading over quite a few days and involving at least three to four formal occasions. Regardless of whether a person can afford to indulge in the festivities and celebrations associated with marriages, the prime concern has invariably been to put up the best show possible. But, when one compares the finest of those of yesteryear, one finds that they are far removed from anything witnessed before in terms of conceptualization and execution, and, although admittedly, such weddings are confined to the moneyed classes. The trend is fast catching on so that even middle-income groups are now coming up with economical ways of introducing imaginative touches to wedding festivities.

Brief account of Mangnee, Mayoon, Mehndi, Nikah and Valima

Mangnee
Pakistan is a land of thousand faces, a country simply overflowing with cultural richness. A blend of many languages, religions, traditions and cultures, Pakistan is one of the most culturally diverse countries on earth. In a land so varied, the possibilities for a marriage are endless, and customs vary according to religion, region and community. Whatever the preferences, a wedding in Pakistan is bound to be unforgettable - every marriage is the sign for an important family celebration. Although most of these celebrations do not necessarily fall in the boundaries set by religion and are heavily influenced by customs of neighbour and overseas countries, people participate in them with passion and enthusiasm.

Looking for just the right wedding set, the Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of Shaadi Style Magazine (www.ShaadiStyle.com) goes online to check out the world of internet jewelry. Will it be up to her standards or a just a bunch of junk?

These days you can buy just about anything online. From magazines and movies to couches and cars, web shopping has grown at an incredible pace. Yes, I admit I am an internet junky. My husband and I were one of the first users of Kozmo.com (a now defunct internet delivery service that specialized in satisfying those 2 AM Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey cravings). These days, my personal favorite is online groceries - no more supermarket lines. Perhaps with all of the stay-in-your-pajamas convenience we won’t ever need to leave the house. But seriously, I believe these services leave me a lot more time to do the things I really enjoy. Like going to weddings!

A few months back I had an opportunity to visit an engagement ceremony of one of my male class-fellows who is now engaged to a junior student who was in the same institute where we all were studying. The engagement took place when we, as the senior batch graduated successfully and the parents of both sides decided to tie the knot at an engagement ceremony, which is a good trend that people are nowadays marrying or at least engaging their sons earlier. Since men are usually getting married in late twenties or early thirties these days.