Wedding: The wedding invite hunt

Wedding invitation is a tricky business. Who to invite is a dilemma in itself but 'How to invite?' is another important question.

Online Invitations/ E-vites:

Internet is everywhere, even in invites. Convenient, cheap, easy and fast but a bit too informal.

That is practical only if you have an active facebook friends' list or mail contacts who can respond timely and for small parties like maybe a small gathering, a bridal shower or a small-scale mehndi where mostly friends are invited.

Now out of college and with a break from medical college, it is difficult for me to approach all my old friends through phone or mail and they won't mind being invited with an e-vite, so that is my plan for the mehndi invitations. Compose a pretty e-vite at pingg.com or evite.com and send through facebook backed up by a text message or call.

Courtesy: Gupshup forums

Hand made/ DIY invites: 

That is a good idea for mehndi for those who just have to handle a few guests. Making a large number can be hectic. If you have that artistic spark and lots of free time, go for it, these are cute.

For ideas, see Cards and Pockets and Truly, Madly, Deeply or Google up more.

Courtesy: Gupshup forums

Dholak shaped invites for a Dholki or Mehndi (see above) or anything funkily decorated with glitter, ribbons, jamavar fabric, (see below) velvet, laces and little bells- sounds so great.

 

 Printed Invitations:

That is the formal and most widely used type, appropriate for almost all kinds of functions.

Back in old times, there used to be a scroll, a few decades ago just a simple card and now you see a huge variety ranging from simple plain cards to elaborate royal cards- all depending on the budget and taste.

I have quite a collection of some old invites with me. I just never felt like discarding them somehow and today when I need ideas for my own wedding invites these are coming handy. I took out a few I liked, saw the logos and looked for the companies online. Surprisingly, these vendors are found online and quite active. A visit to the local printing presses with Dad makes me able to compare them.

 Local Printers:

They are found everywhere, in every city, town or even villages and give you the best rates coz you can freely haggle and you can actually see samples.They often show  you a huge album to choose from, you give them a text, they show a proof and then go ahead with the printing- everything done in 2-3 days usually.

One thing worth mentioning, the places often are dingy and congested, so if it is a girl reading this, take a male along or you aren't gonna feel comfortable. There are others located at nice places but then you pay a little more price for that.

When you go to a local printer, they often show you designs by Ilyas, Nadeem Shafiq and Gul Art (couldn't find them online).

Online Vendors:

The method is convenient and as people have started getting its potential, it is now growing as ever. You sit at home, choose, give a text, maybe make a call or two and get your order within a few weeks. These are some of the online vendors I came across.

Sigma press

Sigma Press:  

 Contact: M. Arif Awan: 92-345-5261171,Commercial Market branch, Phone: 92-51-4414672

A well known name in Rawalpindi/ Islamabad. They claim "According to a survey 8 out of 10 Weddings cards are printed by Sigma Press." I am not sure about this though.

The cards are nice. They have a reputation as being a little pricy but I think, they are in normal ranges and I hear you can haggle with them- quite much.

Zem Printers:
 Based in Lahore. Prices are reasonable enough and they work online. But I am not overly impressed with the designs.

One by Mahj- that would one lavish wedding!

 MahjDesign Studio:
Nice designs. The lady works according to what you want but when there is detail, there is a good price tag too. :| 

My favorite from Ilyas press

Ilyas press:
Email: ilyaspress@gmail.com
Based in Karachi. One of the renowned companies in Pakistan. Came to know of them from those old wedding invites lying at home.  Better prices than Zem Printers and some good designs though a very few are displayed online.







Nadeem Shafiq International:
I think the largest company here in Pakistan, based in Multan with its outlets in all major cities including Multan, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Raheem Yar Khan and Sahiwal. They have some lovely designs and some very reasonable prices, and worth mentioning a really good customer service- prompt responses and good suggestions.
Came to know of them from their logo on old invites too. I am considering them for my own wedding invites.

A lovely design by Nadeem Shafiq International- such grandiose (that is another thing I personally wouldn't like spending a fortune on invites)

Will update when I order mine :)

Wedding: Where to begin?

Since I am writing up in a time when I am hooked up quite much with wedding preps which is scheduled some 7 weeks away now (InshaAllah) so I start it with a post regarding this.

The most common problem I have seen people facing over the internet and in real life about wedding- planning is 'the lack of a point to begin', you know you have to do a zillion things, but what exactly? You don't know till you ask around and come to know you should have done this and that months in advance.
So, some months before the wedding, start with the basics. When exactly? The sooner, the better. I began a few months after getting engaged after orienting myself about my in-laws and my future requirements.

1. Keep your eyes open for ideas: 

Bring forth your observation and questioning skills. We ladies often don't need that step since we are already set into this mode by default. :P Window shop often and keep a mental record of things you like at a wedding or at a shop.
This thing really helps sometimes but at other times it is hurting when you are really certain that you'll find your desired in a specific amount or at a specific place and at the last moment it is 'sold out'. Happened to me when I fell in love with a lovely heel while window shopping. My sister didn't let me have it since I had not decided anything about my wedding dress and she was planning them to be a surprise for my birthday. And right before my birthday, the store somehow increased the price for the old collection by a 40% instead of putting it in sale. :| That was heart-breaking, since my sister got them for me in that price too. :')

2. Prioritize:

 Decide what you have always wanted really bad at your wedding and things you can go well without, jot the list down. Keep this with you since you should give it a look again after 2-3 weeks. You'll cut out at least a couple of things with time, for sure.
To keep a record of all the stuff, use Microsoft Office (some people use Excel but I personally have had a good experience with OneNote).

3. Finance:

  It can either be incoming or static. First, see what static amount you already have in saving and what is the potential amount that you expect to be there with you when you are in the final stages of your preparation. In some Pathan families I know, there is a tradition when a girl gets married, the nearest relatives send in cash to contribute a few weeks earlier.
But at the same time, do not completely rely on incoming amount from relatives or friends. Count in only the part that you are sure about, like the usual amount you save up from your salary.

4. Weigh options and choose:

Now when you know your financial limits, weigh the options available within that range.

Allot an amount first to the things you label 'A Must' in your list and adjust others accordingly. 

If you are a lady and planning a wedding, you probably would have at least a hundred pictures in your laptop or phone in a 'Dresses', 'Jewellery' or 'Decoration' folder. Short list the ones you practically want and keep the others, they come in handy often.

If you are going for real designer stuff, it is better to keep a record of the designer when you save the picture.

6. Act: 

Get off the laptop/PC and go out into the real world. Trust me the world out there is a lot different. You get to find stuff that is a lot cheaper and better quality (opposite sometimes too) and then there is your good ol' friend "Haggling"- use it to the maximum. It is after all your money and you don't need to over spend it just because of 'what would the shop-keeper or fellow shoppers think?', they don't think about you that much anyways. :P

Will soon be posting about shopping experiences! :)

Random and still not random

If technology has turned sharing so easy, why not use it to share a piece of your life with the world. After all, the experiences an individual goes through, are different for everyone. If I like to read about someone living in a far off corner of the world, there must be someone who is looking forward to read something from someone like me.
As a medicine student, a shopaholic, a soon-wife-to-be, a food-lover, a beauty and makeup junkie, a listener and a reader ... in my little world, there are a million things I come across daily, old and new- books, music, places, people, things, experiences. I plan to share them all, leaving behind a voice of mine for everyone. Some might call them random ramblings, which my blogs might turn out to be, some might find a piece of information mentioned here useful. :)