From an intimate wedding to a grand reception, Annam Ahmad and Omar Haque’s wedding is one to remember. Annam, a content creator, says that as a bride, one should not “get caught up in the details while planning and during the wedding.” With a short span of just four months in hand, Annam says, “There wasn’t a lot of time to plan the wedding. It was stressful but we somehow managed to pull it off with a lot of help from family and friends. When I look back, it seems like a whirlwind.” Without a wedding planner, the bride and her sister hosted two events themselves while the groom and his family planned the Walimah.
Speaking of the vision, the couple revealed, “We wanted to do all of the traditional events that you have in an Asian wedding but with our closest family and friends in attendance. I wanted my baraat look to be very traditional Pakistani and the Walimah to look and feel luxurious. The wedding itself was quite intimate with around 150 guests for the main ceremony. But we wanted to be sure to include everything we’ve always wanted for the big days.”
The Mehndi
On the 10th September 2021, the mehndi took place in the bride’s family home in Birmingham. “I wanted it to be calm and intimate with just close family and friends whilst my henna was applied. We had our décor team create a feeling of stepping into Pakistan. There were Bougainvillea flowers to mimic those found hanging over the walls in Pakistan and Mughal inspired arches.”
“We had our mehndi’s separate but we both wanted an intimate home event so we kept our outfits simple. Omar and I both wore Mohsin Naveed Ranja. I wanted to go for a more classical old-school vibe for the Mehndi, which is why I opted for yellow and something a bit simpler. The dupatta was quite heavy. I initially wanted to pin it to my hair, but I also really wanted to enjoy the day so opted to have it on my shoulder instead. For accessories, I picked baby pink polki earrings and tikka set by heritage jewels by Bibi London. I wore yellow khussay to finish off my traditional Punjabi look. Omar went with a burnt orange kurta and cream trousers.”
The Nikkah
The duo chose a local masjid for their Nikkah which was on the 2nd of May 2021. They wanted it to be an intimate event. The bride wanted to keep the ceremony classic and timeless, so she opted for a colour palette of baby pink and red for the fresh flower centrepieces, napkins and personalised table menus. “We also had tall candelabra centrepieces and the stage had a fresh floral backdrop,” said Annam.
“For the Nikkah, Iqra F Chaudhry, my mother-in-law got me the outfit, which is why it’s extra special. I love the colours and cut of the kameez and trousers. To jewellery, I wore a gold set gifted to me by my in-laws. On the shoot I wore a set by Innayah Heritage Jewellery,” shares Annam. Omar wore Mohsin Naveed Ranjha via Kiyaan Menswear. This was such a lucky find. It was the night before the Nikkah and we still hadn’t arranged a nice outfit for Omar. My Nikkah outfit was quite heavy, so I wanted Omar to wear something more than a plain Kurta pyjama. I luckily found this the night before the Nikkah and Omar managed to pick it up just in time.”
The Baraat
The baraat took place at the Mandarin Oriental on Sunday, the 12th of September 2021. “Everything from the venue space to the bridal suite was better than I could have imagined,” says Annam. The couple kept it intimate with a guest list of only one hundred people.
“My favourite moment was at the baraat, making my entrance and seeing Omar on stage. I was so happy to see him, I had to hold back my tears because I was so overjoyed.” There were fun and traditional games such as dodo pilai and joota chupai played between the groom and his sister-in-laws. I wore traditional Pakistani style jewellery from Farhat Ali Jewellers based in Lahore.”
The bride dressed in a Dr Haroon bridal wear and elongated earrings and a small tikka for the traditional baraat look. “This was a dream; he was lovely and created the most magical outfit I could have imagined. I gave him an inspiration picture of a bridal outfit he created in the part and let him know that I’d like to stick to those tones. When I visited him, he showed me the fabrics, colours and a bridal he previously made to show me the type of embroidery. He listened to everything I wanted and more, I just loved my experience. He doesn’t usually work on bridal wear with a short deadline, but we managed to make it happen with the help of my lovely friend Izzah Shaheen Malik (international photographer). I wore bronze gold scrappy heels from Gianvito Rossi.” The groom wore a Sabyasachi sherwani for the baraat.
The Walimah
The Walimah was hosted by the groom and his family at the “unique, grand and made for luxurious events” Hintze hall of the Natural History Museum. “My in-laws opted for white flowers with foliage for the centrepieces and stage backdrop.” The couple kept the lighting and entrance of the venue in mind while choosing their outfits. “The veil was perfect for the staircase entrance. There were also floral arrangements running down the banister of the grand staircase and the top table. “As the Walimah was an evening event, the hall was lit beautifully with lots of spotlighting and uplighting.” The floral backdrop by Floco and Luxe Events at the Walimah contrasted perfectly with the bride and groom’s outfits. The Walimah was almost an Asian-black tie event. There were lots of very cool tuxedos and lots of beautiful saris.”
“I always wanted to wear Élan Couture for my Walimah. My husband gifted me the most beautiful gold bridal. The pearl and crystal details created just the right amount of sparkle for the evening event. For jewellery, I opted for a set from Farhat Ali Jewellers. I paired it with heirloom jewellery; my mother-in-law’s gold bangles from her own wedding, which she kindly gifted to me,” reveals Annam. Omar wore a midnight blue tuxedo from Huntsman of Saville Row. “His tailoring featured a signature Huntsman wide shawl lapel, which made for a dramatic look. He opted for Oxford shoes by bespoke English shoe designer Gaziano Girling and paired them with traditional cufflinks from New & Lingwood to finish his look.”
The Wow Moments
“Saying ‘Yes, I Do’ felt surreal. And same way, saying goodbye is always hard. The Rukhsati was the most emotional part of the wedding for sure. That is not to say there weren’t any fun moments. The wedding games between the groom and his sisters-in-law like the dodo pilai and joota chupai were too much fun,” recalls the bride.
The Advice
“No matter how much you plan, something will inevitably not go to plan. Remember that from the beginning so if something does go wrong, you know you’ve got to enjoy your day.”
The Bride’s Checklist
The Bride: Annam Ahmad
The Groom: Omar Haque
Hair: Aamir Naveed Hair
Makeup: Anisa Lass & Tanji
Henna: Emaarts and Mohima Henna Art
The Venues: Mandarin Oriental Ballroom for Baraat, Natural History Museum (Hintze hall) for Walimah
Photography and Videography: Memoirz
Wedding Décor: The Event Builders, 1SW Events and Floco & Luxe Events
Caterer: Sapna Caterers
