Its funny that we say these photo shoots are a bit much, but I think the way engagements are going in Pakistan these days, its the height of "too much." There was an engagement in my extended family, and if I was to post pictures, you would never be able to tell it wasn't a shaadi. A hall was rented out, the bride had her head covered, her makeup done, there were ring exchanges, mithai was fed, those huge rose-garlands were put on both bride and groom and they hired a photographer. There were several guests, not just the immediate sides of the bride and groom. This is becoming more and more common in Pakistan.
I'm sorry, more than these engagement photo shoots (which are also OTT), I think these type of engagements are seriously tacky. What ever happened to sharing this moment with your immediate close ones in the comfort of your home?
^i agree completely! i saw the same thing here in the US. everyone thought it was a wedding at first, they had an enormous cake and their initials monogrammed in ice sculptures and lights on the walls. there was no nikah or anything. it was pretty ridiculous.
i've been to larger engagement parties and personally, i do think its fine if you want to celebrate on a larger scale. i'm not sure why there's such hate for how people want to celebrate their impending nuptials? a wedding is always going to be a grander affair- it cannot be replaced by an engagement- just like a bride will always stand out as a bride, no matter how many other girls re-wear their wedding dresses to the event. one of my bff's had a large engagement- around 200 people- and mainly because she has such a huge family here mA, as does the groom, that it wasn't possible for them to just invite 10 people and have it done. so they did rent out a hall, the groom's side sent her clothes, shoes and jewellery, she had her hair and makeup done by a friend who is a MUA, they had a hall and rasms and mithai, and it was beautiful. and didn't seem at all overdone given the circumstances. so in this, i have to firmly say, to each their own. i hardly have any family here so i literally did only have 45 family and friends at MIL's house for our engagement party and that was also really sweet and nice given our circumstances. so to each their own, man. i think fussing about how people celebrate the milestones in their lives is a bit much. what's next, criticizing a couple for throwing a big birthday party for their 1 year old?
as for engagement shoots, as others have said, its very common here for couples who are having love marriages, and to be honest, most of the couples i know who've done them, have done so because a) its part of their photographer's package and something they usually throw in complimentarily, and b) its a professional photoshoot and those are a lot of fun! why wouldn't you want to have great pictures of yourself and your fiance taken by a professional?? i regret not having an engagement shoot because our photographers were so good and we looked so good in our pics haha
i'm just waiting for another milestone in our lives before i can call them in for a photo shoot of hubs and myself and our families.
are you being rigid, mahi? not at all. i do understand where you're coming from and having just come back from pakistan and having the way people think over there refreshed in my mind, i get it. i don't know anyone in my circle over there who would ever do a shoot like this pre-nikkah. i mean, girls aren't even really allowed to communicate much with their husbands before nikkah's so a shoot like this is out of the question. for eg: my cousin took* one* picture holding her hubby's hand after the nikkah and that was a big deal for her and for him!
as for whether or not its appropriate to show really intimate pictures at a wedding, i know i'd be uncomfortable looking at pictures of couples in their pyjamas! its a little weird for me, yeah.
where do these couples go to for such shoots? in studio it would be kinda pointless. I just came back from doing one and its more of having fun and being in love concept here.
you could go anywhere! outdoors in a park or a fair or on the beach. you could go to a museum or a beautiful hotel with interesting architecture. you could even just walk up the main street of a little town or a big city somewhere! i've seen a huge range of locations shot. and you can do them at different points thruot the day- in the morning, evening, sunset, nighttime.
but I plan to get it going. Hopefully can find some daring couples wanting to give it a shot like they do here. Plain ole studio shoot would suck for especially for an engagement as nikah shoot would look like a repeat
My brother and his fiance did an engagement shoot in a nearby park at sunset right after the party, theirs is going to be a love marriage.. Nothing wrong with the idea imo tho dunno if I'd do it myself..
i can understand how conservative people might think its too much, but honestly, my opinion is whatever makes the bride and groom happy! Being engaged/newly wed is so much fun and if its something they wanna do, im all for letting them enjoy!
I had a shoot for my engagement...and looking back on it I'm so glad I did! One can have a photoshoot without too much physical contact, ours was completely decent and the most we touched was in a few shots holding hands to show our rings. It depends on how it is done. And we had a small but lavish affair, there were only 40 people there but we decorated everything in white and blue with lots of flowers and ribbons. But the photoshoot helped capture the moment of getting engaged (we've been together for 5 years) and we could show it to the relatives who weren't invited so they could be a part of the event too.
Everybody I know here has an "engagement" session, BUT, they have it after the wedding/nikkah, even the most modern people I can think of. It's almost always included in the package and it's so lovely to have pictures somewhere scenic and in regular/dressy clothing!
We are getting an "engagement shoot" this month and this after our marriageed...and not even right after we got married. On our second year anniversary...got the engagement package and everything... I am excited. getting it while we were engaged would have been wayy too much! I wouldnt even feel comfortable taking those pictures and then sharing them with anyone (considering we werent married at the time the pictures were taken).
