The following curated list is a snapshot of the Pakistani wedding industry, that has withstood the test of time, emerged economically victorious form the financial impacts of a pandemic, and continues to evolve, with heart and innovation. While the breadth of this vast enterprise “the industry” cannot be addressed as a monolith, the following is an observational piece; celebrating those that are creatively and influentially at the top of their games. With so much to choose from, and artists left right and center that can rival the best of the best globally, the editorial desk had its work cut out picking only two of each. The following honorees, are based off of both critical, and popular acclaim, while also keeping in mind what has been done by them in recent times to advance the wedding market’s potential forward.
Saaish
In the editor’s note, i use the word catalyst. I feel no one on this list singlehandedly embodies the term more than Altish Yousaf. The origins of her styling journey predate the creative bridal styling agency Saaish, as her own looks for her wedding catalysed a new era of what the template for a Pakistani bride was. From pushing the envelope in presentation in ways never seen before, Saaish has presented the local bride with a global facing aesthetic, curated with the attention that only a true connoisseur of fashion could.
With a global connection, and an eye for the best, Altish Yousaf’s Saaish has truly mastered the “fresh”.
Pictroizzah
Izzah Shaheen Malik; the magician. Few have had the audacity to explore avenues that Pictroizzah has tapped; from opening doors to the international market and developing a taste for the upscale Pakistani photographer aesthetic, having her work featured in ELLE, shooting a crossborder campaign with Abhinav Mishra to making absolutely enchanting visuals for her brides, Izzah is a focused artist, and an intuitive business women who has opened possibilities many only aspire to.
With a sense of marketing, aesthetic, and an unmatched love for Craft, Pictroizzah is more than the photographer who covered Mahira Khan’s wedding, she is an aboslute visionary, spearheading women in business and aesthetic like few have.
Photo Credits @Izzahshaheenakbar
Shoaib Khan
Shoaib Khan; the artist. So much can be said of Shoaib’s talents, but succinctly; everyone’s happier that Shoaib Khan now does bridal makeup. From being an industry leader in the fashion market, to a viral sensation for his unbelievable makeovers on himself, Shoaib has pretty much experimented the extent of his craft in full view of the public, and is now perhaps one of the finest makeup artists that the country has to offer. His bridal work however, has brought the demanding finesse of the fashion market to the Brides of today.
With a mastery of his craft, and the unapologetic and kind nature of his persona, It would be safe to say that in his hands, many brides have had their best selves come forth on their big days.
Rano’s Heirlooms
There’s an aura about Rano’s heirlooms that sets it apart; a sense of individuality that feels both modern and timeless, reminiscent of bridalwear from the bygone, but catapulted into the modern day by its sensibility of colour and presentation. Some colors on the Rano’s palette have become such a mainstay of their brand identity and pushed forth general bridal sensibilities that it is no surprise it has become so sought after. Rano’s heirlooms, as the name suggests, is a consolidation of the old, with knack for the new.
Photo Credits @ranosheirloomsofficial
Lajwanti
Lajwanti has had a resurgence. It has divulged itself into having a more international appeal, and an aesthetic that is familiar to the desi palette. Spearheaded into this era by its young creative director Dania. The couture house has not only consolidated itself as a checkpoint of craftsmanship through its recent campaigns, but has delivered on the promise of evolution, in the age of saturation.
Farhat Ali
It is no surprise that cross border influences often navigate choices of brides, Farhat Ali Jewllers has taken that inspiration and embedded the overarching Indian Influence, into its generational craftsmanship. The word on the street has been positive for the family owned business for both their service, and exclusivity. While some may navigate the market through tactical marketing, Farhat has managed to consolidate itself as being simple, beautiful, and reliable.
Picture credits: Bisma Akbar
Sara Idrees
Hanif JEwellers
The Jewellers that have been on top of eveolcing trends, and associating themselves with the finest, with sparkle being a metaphorical extension of their name, have cemented themselves as reliable, generational tastemakers. From their marketing standing out in the local market, to innovating in luxury markets like what other counterparts may stay wary of, Hanif Jewellers is definitely here to stay as the flagbearers of what Pakistani JEwellery craftsmanship can possibly achieve.
Photo Creidts @hanifjewellers
Ayra Events
Sana Bhatti; the enchantress. Ayra Events, to even the most passing observer on instagram feels like an otherworldly space, punctuated with perfect harmonies, painstaking detail, and an attention to the finest. The labour of love on display not only feels like it was pulled out of a Bollywood movie and put in front of you, but one curated as an extension of the individual that it’s all about; the bride.
With curated spaces that could rival any of the biggest weddings of the world, It is a no brainer to not have this industry innovator on this list.
Photocredits @Ayraevents
GlamGency
The go getter, trendsetter; Zahra Sarfarz. In the short span of a couple of years, Zahra Sarfaraz’s brainchild has dressed the who’s who of film, fashion, weddings and beyond. A skillset set often exclusively associated with the fashion market was brought to the desi bride with Zahra Sarfaraz’s outward looking sensibilities, popularising the field of bridal styling itself, and structuring it in a manner previously unobserved. GlamGency has not only conquered the Pakistani Weddingscape with its creativity but has almost birthed it a new, defining a niche that wants to be curated to the smallest detail.
Zahra Sarfaraz is out there, styling one killer look after the other, and exploring the horizons of the wedding market with sense of style that feels rooted in our homegrown, earthy and palatable aesthetic.
Photocredits @zahrasarfaraz
Whimsical Parties
The desi wedding sensibility thrives on grandeur, and Sundas Mustafa the brain behind the brand has seemingly perfected it. Every season, larger than life sets that seem to outdo the prior have become a hallmark of this decore house. The sense of shear opulence that coincides with our local aesthetic is only shadowed by the towering presence of the creativity behind it.
Whimsical Parties, from its humble beginnings has grown into the benchmark of possibility, towering over an industry that looks at their curations with awe. Desis are extra, Whimsical Parties gets it, and for that it is an honor to have her in this list.
Photo credits: Opm Shoots
Sara idrees
Sehrish Amir
Treading that very fine line between desi bride aesthetic, and absolute craftsmanship, Sehrish Amir is seemingly a powerhouse that has cracked the code. The Makeup Studio by Sehrish has seemingly become the go to for any bride that wants the best of the best. With her journey of enamoring an entire industry by pushing out one killer look after the other, she doesn’t seem to catching a breath anytime soon.
The sense of individuality in each look that Sehrish crafts for her brides, observably comes from a place of love for womanhood. With a new Saloon space on the horizon, Sehrish is soon approaching the status of an icon amongst her peers.
Photo Credits: Sara Idrees
Outfits: Bunto Kazmi
Yratta Media
Saad Yratta; the Original. No one quite has the expanse of a portfolio like this legendary creative. Yratta Media in its stint has reinvented the face of what a wedding visual could be. From in depth metaphors, to breathtaking visuals that seem almost too surreal to be from a wedding setting, no one does it quite like them. From having shot for the Indian Couture House Tarun Tahillian, to directing some of the most memorable visuals in present pop culture, Yratta seems to be pushing the boundaries every time. Yratta has innovated from a place of artistry that seems to propel them from the realm of being just wedding photographers, but artists deeply invested in the emotion and narrative of their subject, furnished by their almost unreal cinematography.
Yratta Media keeps finding ways to perpetuate newer perspectives to what to many may seem like a saturated market, but this element of surprise is truly what sets them apart.
Photo Credits @Saadyratta
