I have read some great forums on this site providing guidelines for buying bridal dresses in Pakistan. However, I wasn’t able to see any up to date discussion on this topic ( Sorry, if there is one and I have missed it J). So, I am starting a new one…
I am getting married in March 2013, inshAllah. The venues for the wedding and valima are Gujrat and Islamabad, respectively. I am currently residing in Toronto and planning to go to Pakistan in mid of February. Originally, I thought I will be able to shop for my bridal dresses in 3-4 weeks and be done with it. However, after doing some research I realized 3-4 weeks are not enough at all. So now I am thinking about shopping for my dresses online. I need some guidelines as to which designers should I be looking at. I can easily travel to Lahore or Islamabad, once I get to Pakistan. Additionally, what is the cost for a “good” bridal dress these days and how much time it usually takes?
Re: Shopping online for bridal dresses?
A bridal dress can be made in 3-4 weeks however, there are other things that delay the process like if you plan it for Feb, there will be a lot of orders already in process so karigars will be busy and reluctant to take new orders. We always have load shedding issue in Pakistan which puts things in a lag. So ideally you should place order start of January and have it ready in Feb. You might want to ask the designer to hold off stitching before you come to Pakistan so if there are any amends in the work required, that can be done easily. A heavy custom bridal dress would cost between PKR 80k to PKR 120k or more, really depends on what you are looking for. Off the shelf stuff is obviously slightly cheaper but not recommended as you wont know the quality of material used. If you can share some pictures of the type of dress you like, designers on GS forum will be able to quote you a definite price.
Re: Shopping online for bridal dresses?
Thanks a bunch for replying!!! You have no idea how much I appreciate your help. This is the first wedding in my immediate family – do not have any age fellow cousins in Pakistan who can help and I haven’t been to Pakistan over a decade so I have no idea how things work now.
You idea is truly great - I should try to ask the designer to hold off stitching. I have been looking online to try to find some good designers but I think only the well-known designers end up online; the others (who might be really good) do not have a website or an online profile. Lately, I have been looking at bridal dresses from Mehdi, Umar Sayeed and Maria B. I think Mehdi and Umar Sayeed are located in Karachi (not a 100% sure about this) and Maria B is in Lahore. What is their reputation is Pakistan? I have also contacted the representatives from Mehdi and Umar Sayeed and they are willing to take orders online. Are there any other good designers in Islamabad or Lahore that I should be considering? I will try to contact them to see what they offer and will definitely ask them to hold off the stitching process.
I am very reluctant to place my order online since a dress that looks good in the picture might not be as good in reality. On the other hand, I might be sacrificing a few things if I try to have the dress made in 3-4 weeks. L Anyways, thanks a lot for your help. J