Aww no, im just glad ive finished work today!! hm i hadnt seen it either, my sister bought it for me. yeh i know what you mean, i wish they sold the pakistani bridal magazines here! maybe they do..i always get brides&you when i go…i knowww not long left!! I still need to START packing piyari, help meee 
yeh i saw him today..lol hes so cute he was grinning like a lil kid..id barely woken up n was in my pjz and he was still saying i looked nice! haha 
so what date are u going inshallah? Mm cake sounds good, i sent him a pineapple one caz thats his fav 
i think this time im just gonna send a card and then tke the psp when i go and give it as a late v-day gift..hmm that would be quite embarassing..u can send the cake n flowers n leave the I love youuuus for the card 
oooh ive been looking at rani emaan’s webiste www.raaniemaans.com the clothes are gorgeous!! im goin to pay her a visit in pindi when i go n do some research for my lengha..check it out n let me know what you think x
i always read this thread and its soo dreamy lol u guys are mashallah so lucky!all these romantic gift xchanging stories and wat not...haye mey mar javaan gurr kha k lol :P
lol @ mar jaava ghur khaa k paro!! haha x
^ hehe i like reading this thread too even tho im not a 2010 bride. all the stories are cute and u can really feel everyones excitement. congrats to all the 2010 brides!! x
This thread is really lovely to read :) Piyari and Duffy - your convo's back and forth are so cute! I wish I could join in!!! But I just got engaged and my wedding date has not been set yet .... So no planning or excitement has started yet. I dunno if I will be a 2010 bride. But I wish you guys allllll of the best and may Allah have your plans go smoothly and dreams come true!
This thread is really lovely to read :) Piyari and Duffy - your convo's back and forth are so cute! I wish I could join in!!! But I just got engaged and my wedding date has not been set yet .... So no planning or excitement has started yet. I dunno if I will be a 2010 bride. But I wish you guys allllll of the best and may Allah have your plans go smoothly and dreams come true!
Hey PunjabiRose!! :) Lol yeh me n piyari have really hit it off and seem to have a lot in common! Aww congrats on the engagement, u did look lovely mashallah :) well i might not get married this year either, depends on what happens after the engagement..either way i class myself as a half 2010 bride inshallah cos atleast alhumdulillah i'll be getting engaged! :D thank u sooo much for ur beautiful duas hun..hope Allah blesses you with an abundance of happiness also :) xx
Re: 2010 brides.........
Ps..u are more than welcome to join in with us..the more the merrier :D lol x
Re: 2010 brides…
^ I think I will - I need help figuring out a valentines day present for my fiance!!! I was thinking about getting him a PS3 as well… but he just bought it for himself 
Our engagement was last month and my parents gave him a watch, cologne, and clothing. My siblings got him more cologne. And I got him cuff links and more clothing. So now I am reallyyyyy stuck as to what to get! I dont think I should do any repeat presents so close in time. My present so far only consists of a framed picture of us on our engagement. I just got my professional pics back. 
So any ideas girls??? U guys seem great at brainstorming!
@ Duffy: you are very welcome for the duas and thank YOU for the compliment u gave me! Also - I have heard the best things about Rani Emaan and am basically convinced that I am going to get my bridal leghngaa from them inshAllah. Their stuff is amazinngggg.
Guys are so hard to shop for!! Erm well you could do something creative like put together a scrapbook of e-mails and txts that you’ve sahred that are meaningful to you..one of my friends actually made this lil book that was full of pictures of her that he had never seen and she added a lil catopn like ‘this is what i look like when im missing you’ and ‘this is me when im thinking about you’ etc etc..it sounds corny but honestly was the sweetest! Simplicity tends to work tho..how abt a nice heartfelt long letter? nowadays letters are kind of out of fashion but i think theyre sweet
Yeh raani emaan seems like a good option..the clothes are beautiful! altho i have to say some designers are way too pricey when the work isnt even all that! i like the colour combos they uses @ Raani Emaan..im gonna check it out when i go later in March inshallah shall let you know what i find! x
I luv the heartfelt long letter idea Duffy! Thank you! 
No one hand writes letters anymore and it makes all the more meaningful. It will kinda be a throwback to how we got to know each other as well. We spent 3 months writing each other long emails back and forth every day - it was our way of getting to know each other. But once we got seriously involved, neither one of us had written anything as long and in depth as we used to! So this is a great idea! I will give him this along with the framed engagement picture … and chocolate I think. I know that girl’s are supposed to be obssessed with it but in our case he is the one that is obsessed haha. It will be a simple present …but its the thought that counts right?
Most designers are so expensive in my opinion 
. I havnt even started planning at all but the finances of a shaadi is already starting to stress me out. Do you have similar feelings? I think I just have a really guilty conscious. I am the eldest of five children and my brothers and sister all have to go to college and stuff too. I don’t want to spend loads and loads of money on my shaadi alone. But back to topic - I am definietly in love with Rani Emaans collections. I’m also a fan of the fact that are open to price negotiations and are very accomodating to changes. That is a huge plus. Another guppy got her bridal wear from Rani Emaan here in the US branch and she had a great experience with the customer service and stuff too. WHich is awesome. So you are going to have to definietly let the rest of us know about your experience with them when you go to Pakistan
I’m sure you have mentioned it somewhere else in this thread and I have missed it - but where in Pakistan are you going? If you are going to Lahore - make sure to check out Zardozi! Unfortunately they do not have a website but the stuff there is gorgeous. I bought a formal from them last time I went. They negotiate pricing as well which is convenient. Just make sure they dont find out you are from abroad.
Im defently going to do some research for some pk bridal magazines..or atleast a pk fashion magazine..Ill defently let you know how it goes..Have you been to the Asian Bride Show before? I went last year it was ok to be honest abit disappointing…the outfits that were on display werent that great…they just had 3-4 different colours and they were either sleeveless..really short tops and the lenghas that i saw in the pics displayed they didnt have it… :(…but it was a fun day out..
Dont stress about packing what I do is whenever I think I need to take this or buy something I always just add it to my list for packing..just start getting things together that you might need..put it to one side..so when you go to pack you can just grab and pack…
awwwww that is soo cute…about his saying you looked nice in ur pjs…I usually wear contact lenses but he seems to think I look very cute in my glasses which i haaate wearing lol
Well date will either be 9/13th march!!
OMG duffy pinapple is my fiances fave too!!!Im defently leaving the I love you’s for the cards…welll actaully i dont even write it in them either lol just incase someone sees I leave them for emails and texts hehe
I still need to look at the link you gave me defently tell you what I think tomorr!!
PR please join in!!! Would love to hear some more cute stories…and sharing tips!!! and congrats for your engagement!! May Allah bless you with every happiness and joy.Ameen xxx
Before me and my fiance got engaged we used to email each other soo much like everyday and chat online…bless him he used to wait for me to come online n chat…and at that time I was staying at my brothers and his internet used to play up soo much..so he would spend half the night waiting for me and I couldnt come sometimes bless him…
Re: 2010 brides.........
Hey girls!
I'm getting married Insha'Allah on August 1, 2010 in the States. Still, have a lot to do, and cannot stop browsing the internet for great ideas. Is it me, or am I sleep deprived?!
On top of this my photographer cannot shoot for my wedding because she's expecting. I really need to find a photographer and videographer. MY TWO BIGGEST CONCERNS =(
Congratulations on your upcoming shaadi!!! Aweeeee… I don’t even have a shaadi date set yet and finding the perfect photographer and videographer have ALREADY become concerns of mine since I live in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (in the US as well). My experience with my photographer was not good at my engagement ..so i think this is why i am already concerned 
I did not have time to do the proper research and had to just go with my one and only choice my town offers. But Mehreen - luckily you have some time to do some research and look around. Which state are u getting married in? I have time on my hands now a days and would have no problem helping you do some research So let me know!
Awe thank you Piyari! Thank you for the well wishes as well!!!
OMG your fiance sounds like such a doll! Waiting for you to come online to chat … aweee… I actually met my fiance TOTALLY RANDOMLY in the city where I went to do my professional studies. We were literally two strangers. Rather than just jump in and start dating each other … we first got to know each other via email, long phone conversations, and hanging out a few times … but ONLY with our groups of friends. Never alone. haha. So we made major effort to become friends first. His patience and maturity towards the whole situation is one of his many qualities that I fell in luv with S
Congrats Mehreen!!! Try not to worry too much, it will just stress you out even more just try and stay relaxed..Dont worry InshaAllah you will find a really good photographer and videographer..everything will fall into place beautifully…
Your welcome! Thats is really sweet how you two met and how you guys got to know each other..That is a really good that you became friends first bcoz u get to know the other person abit more openly then you would say like you just got engaged to someone you barely know..I feel very happy for you! You have to share your cute stories too!!! We would love to hear them!
Aw ur more than welcome PR! i think its a great idesa what you have planned, im sure he’ll love it! thats sweet how you to got to know each other i remember we also used to write lengthy e-mails to each other..that was a sweet time..my hubby 2 b is also into cards..when i went to Pk first time after we’d really gotten to know each other he had a BIG bundle of cards waiting for me for each occasion, fom birthdays to valentines! aww n he even had some that hed written to me before we’d got togther..in the hope that we would!
ahh neways..yeh hun i totally agree..you dont have to have a designer lengha for it to be beautiful..my sisters lenghe werent designer but were just as beautiful..i think its commendable that you are thinking about your younger brothers and sisters, mashallah if you see something that you love and can imagine yourself wearing and is within your budget, be it Raani Emaan or a normal shop then you go for it. Man i wish i was going Lhr! firstly to see piyari n 2ndly to see this Zardozi shop ive heard lots about! but im gonna be is islamabad..will definitely let you know what i find at Raani emaan xx
Im defently going to do some research for some pk bridal magazines..or atleast a pk fashion magazine..Ill defently let you know how it goes..Have you been to the Asian Bride Show before? I went last year it was ok to be honest abit disappointing...the outfits that were on display werent that great...they just had 3-4 different colours and they were either sleeveless..really short tops and the lenghas that i saw in the pics displayed they didnt have it... :(...but it was a fun day out..
Dont stress about packing what I do is whenever I think I need to take this or buy something I always just add it to my list for packing..just start getting things together that you might need..put it to one side..so when you go to pack you can just grab and pack...
awwwww that is soo cute...about his saying you looked nice in ur pjs....I usually wear contact lenses but he seems to think I look very cute in my glasses which i haaate wearing lol
Well date will either be 9/13th march!!
OMG duffy pinapple is my fiances fave too!!!Im defently leaving the I love you's for the cards...welll actaully i dont even write it in them either lol just incase someone sees I leave them for emails and texts hehe
I still need to look at the link you gave me defently tell you what I think tomorr!!
^
No hun, i havent been, in fact there was a bridal show recently that i wanted to attend but i didnt get to go..hm thats dissapointing! Yhe definitely i need to get my list sorted!! Lol aww i dont like me in my glasses either! tend to stick to my contacts..or rahter they stick to me when i wear them too much! :P oooh so u'll be going before me inshallah!! :D wohooo lol, see we share the same taste and so do our hubbies!! hehe :D yeh hun deffo check it when you can n lemme knw :) xx
Yea … I am honestly very glad we took that approach. We both had never been in a relationship before so this was the good way for us to do it. Become friends first…see if we were truly compatible and then take it to a more serious level. My mom was the one that actually gave me that advice Mom’s always know best huh??? mA we were very lucky Piyaari that neither one of our families put pressure on us to get engaged right away and for us to first spend some time getting to know each other. Plus everyone respected the fact that I wanted to complete my studies first and so that is where the majority of my focus was always. So we dated for 2 years …our parents knew about this the whole time. We did not want to keep secrets from them. We got engaged alhumdullilah after I completed my law studies and then passed the bar exam (exam I need to take in order to practice in the state I live in). When my baat paki happened it was a total surprise to me! My fiance and his family had come to visit my family and during that time …without me knowing, my fiance asked both of my parents for my hand in marriage .. in front of his parents as well. My parents luv him so they agreed. Mujhe sab kuch baad mein pata laga hai! I think I was getting dinner ready when all of this happened! LOL. 
I got engaged about 2 months after my baat paki.
Aweeee u know …sometimes we don’t give our guys enough credit…they truly can be so thoughtful and romantic! My fiance surprised me a little while ago by letting me know that he kept every single email that he had received from me during that time period we were getting to know each other. He had printed them all out and put them in an album so that he can take a look at them from time to time. I was like omg. so shocked! lol.
I know you are right duffy. And inshAllah I hope all of us find our dream dresses! I know we will!! And I can’t wait to hear all about your Pakistani shopping extravaganza’s! You are so lucky you are going. My khalaa just went back and I was so jealous because I miss my family there so much. You are going to have such a wonderful time! Do you have any type of shaadi dress in your mind already? Like are you preferring lehngaa over gharara…what colors are you leaning towards? You too Piyaari… what are you thinking off???
Aw thanks about the comments about my siblings. They are never far from my mind so I think that is why I am concerned about them and their futures. I am like their other mother? The youngest is only 9 years old and I think of him like my own bacha. haha. That is what a 16 yr age difference will do.
[quote=“PunjabiRose”]
Congratulations on your upcoming shaadi!!! Aweeeee… I don’t even have a shaadi date set yet and finding the perfect photographer and videographer have ALREADY become concerns of mine since I live in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (in the US as well). My experience with my photographer was not good at my engagement ..so i think this is why i am already concerned I did not have time to do the proper research and had to just go with my one and only choice my town offers. But Mehreen - luckily you have some time to do some research and look around. Which state are u getting married in? I have time on my hands now a days and would have no problem helping you do some research So let me know!
I’m from Connecticut PunjabiRose. (From Punjab in Pakistan as well) I know how you feel about finding a really good photographer and videographer. We all plan SOO much for this big day, so having it all captured is a must! Even though there are a lot of videographers in my area, none which I am too impressed by. UGGGGHHHH this is so hard, lol, Insha’Allah I will get through it. I found thise amazing videographer from NY, he’s more like a movie maker as well, but he charges like 5,000 for a 30 min video. First, that’s too much, and secondly, 30 minutes is not going to work for a Pakistani wedding, lol. I wouldn’t mind anyone helping me =D. My brother-in-law does his own videography (PrinceProduction.com) and I love his work, but for this day I don’t want him doing it, I want him actually in the wedding.
Yes, I would love any help I can get and from anyone, lol. Thanks! 
[quote="piyari"]
Congrats Mehreen!!! Try not to worry too much, it will just stress you out even more just try and stay relaxed..Dont worry InshaAllah you will find a really good photographer and videographer..everything will fall into place beautifully...QUOTE]
Thanks Piyari!
I know, everyone tell me I need to stop researching so much, and take things easy. I wish I was like one of those gals who just doesnt worry about anything, and everything falls into place. LOL. I'm one of those girls who worres about everything, and still things don't happen the way I would want them to.
I think I'm the type of person who can't trust anyone handling my wedding chores, so I'd rather do them ALL myself, lol. Thanks for the encouragement though, your sweet! =)
[quote=“MehreenUswah”]
Ahhhh you are my neighbor then… I live in Massachusetts. lol. I totally understand your sentiments on finding the perfect videographer/photographer. If I come across something I will definitely PM you for sure. And OMG … $5k is a LOT for a 30 min video woooahhhhhhhhhhh! a half hour is def not enough for a Pakistani wedding… I agree!!!
btw: I have seen your bro-in-laws work…and omg he is so talanted. Over the summer, I came across some of his work and fell in luv with it. I was so impressed with it that I joined his facebook group so that I will remember him when my time comes inshAllah to start planning stuff. Have u asked him of any places/people he could refer you to? I am sure you have … but just in case u didn’t… sometimes we forget to do the simplest things.
No hun, i havent been, in fact there was a bridal show recently that i wanted to attend but i didnt get to go..hm thats dissapointing! Yhe definitely i need to get my list sorted!! Lol aww i dont like me in my glasses either! tend to stick to my contacts..or rahter they stick to me when i wear them too much! :P oooh so u'll be going before me inshallah!! :D wohooo lol, see we share the same taste and so do our hubbies!! hehe :D yeh hun deffo check it when you can n lemme knw :) xx
I wear my lenses so much aswell..well actually the last 2 days Ive been too ill to even bother and plus my eyes are really hurting aswell...I went out for a walk today and went to the shop bcoz I havent been out since tuesday bcoz ive been ill and when I got to the shop my glasses steamed up I hate that..lol!
Earlier I really wasnt feeling well and I was talking to my fiance and he made sure before he put the phone down that I had taken my medicine <3 he is so sweet beyond belief :)
Oooh and today he was asking what websites do flowers...lol finally maybe hes got the hints...!
Today I saw an interview with a designer on ptv and the designer said that one of her clients made a bridal lengha- the shirt was full of work, lengha was plain but had border and piping and full heavy border on duputta and then she made plain capris/pants to wear with the shirt and a plainish dupputa that she cound wear after the wedding and she even said maybe you can get a plain shirt made and wear it with the capris/pants and have the heavy duputta...Im really considering doing that,what do you think about that? atleast I can wear it after the shaadi instead it being stored away...
[quote="MehreenUswah"]
Thanks Piyari!
I know, everyone tell me I need to stop researching so much, and take things easy. I wish I was like one of those gals who just doesnt worry about anything, and everything falls into place. LOL. I'm one of those girls who worres about everything, and still things don't happen the way I would want them to.
I think I'm the type of person who can't trust anyone handling my wedding chores, so I'd rather do them ALL myself, lol. Thanks for the encouragement though, your sweet! =)
Your welcome!
You know what the exact same happens to me!! your not the only one dont worry!! Im like that I need to do it myself..! Otherwise Im thinking what if they dont do it the way I like...for example im thinking the deco of the stage in the hall I want to go and check that everything is in place before the wedding starts mum called me pagal lol!! just cant help feeling like that...
But what does help me when Im feeling distressed or upset is that I read alot of duas and that relaxs me and gives me confidence that everything will be fine...!
While your doing your research keep a note pad and jot down ideas..so you know that you have them down..just do things one at a time InshaAllah everything will fall into place meri jaan xx
Your totally right mums always know best! I really think that its great that you guys got to know each other properly..my fiance is in the family and my MIL told me herself that she wants to me to get to know him and see how I feel..I mean I grew up with him and everything..him and his family came every year from pk and we used to play..talk together when we was little..til then but I thought it was so nice of her to give us that opputunity and my mum was totally fine with it too!!
My engagement was a total surprise to me too! If you read one the replies to Duffy it explains abit about my magni!
OMG that is soooooo cute that he kept all the emails and printed them out…my fiance kept all our emails aswell!!! They really are very thoughtful!
For Barat Im looking for more tradional red!
and walima I already told my MIL I want a gharara! she was like fine choose whateber you like when you come!!! I thought I dont want to wear lenghas on both days..so I thought on Walima Ill get a Gharara!! cant wait
Just want to remind brides that when we are getting our clothes done dont forget dua bhi karo that your clothes get made correctly and right! thats also important too!!!
InshaAllah we all will find the perfect wedding dress!!!