Daily Times

A Pakistani bride has become the new social media sensation after she chose to ditch the usual wedding look and opted for elements that are not usual for a bride.

Stylist Wazhma Awan’s pictures, shared on Instagram by her wedding photographers Natasha Zubair and Maham Iqbal Bosan, show her wearing a crown, flower trail, and dramatic eyeliner – none of which are widely common at Pakistani weddings.

“I see brides wearing all sorts of designers and all of them look the same,” she told media, adding, “They look a bit like photocopies”. “But it’s everyone’s own special day and maybe everyone is not like me,” she said.

For her mehendi, Awan wore a House of Kamiar Rokni outfit, a crown from Etsy shop from the Czech Republic, self-made jewellery, and a trail of artificial flowers, as seen in the pictures.

As per the stylist who “dresses differently” and gets to experiment often, she wanted an outfit that “incorporated elements from different cultures”. “I was looking at brides all over Asia and was drawn to a more tribal, nomadic style,” said Awan.

After reading up about Chinese and Indonesian cultures as part of which people wear customary headgear with dramatic eyebrows, Awan finally decided to wear a Kamiar Rokni piece – with the jacket having elements from Chinese culture with a “desi vibe”.

“I didn’t want a matha patti or a dupatta,” she said, revealing the idea behind a flower veil. The person-in-charge of the wedding decor, Hashim, ended up getting the veil for her after she showed him a picture of traditional Western wedding trails.

While the make-up was done by Ikram Gohar, the signature eyeliner was entirely her effort.

For her nikaah, the bride wore an all-gold outfit and jewellery similar to what Bengali brides wear. The look had people amused and some even asked her if she belonged to different ethnicity. “It was so funny,” Awan, who belongs to Balochistan mentioned.

Her parents are Punjabi and Pathan and she has always mixed all three elements in her style, said Awan, who also included rituals from Indian, Baloch and Pathan culture in her wedding.

“I even did a bari show, she said. “Everyone had a good time and the event was very entertaining,” she added.