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This winter has been one grand celebration of weddings and while the world is still dealing with the pandemic, weddings have been proceeding in full force with fun, fashion, song and dance in mind.
Wedding planners Fahd and Ayesha Nassr, who run an extremely colourful and successful operation called The Social Squad, have been ahead of the curve through the pandemic, finding creative and responsible ways to keep weddings as enjoyable and yet as safe as possible. They’ve been planning weddings all over the world, exploring new and untapped destinations for couples who want a getaway. With half the world in lockdown or still having strict quarantine regulations, Turkey – with its flexible tourist advisories – is one popular option.Â
Here in Karachi, Fahd and Ayesha’s latest success story is Saboor Aly and Ali Ansari’s celebrity wedding. They were responsible for the beautiful and picturesque Nikkah at the KPI (Karachi Parsi Institute) and also the dynamic Reception, which ensured a fun afternoon of gaming.
Fahd Nasr and Ayesha Fahd, the minds behind the celebrity wedding that went viral, have been in the business long enough to know how it’s done. They have catered to more than 50 brides and approximately over 100 events in a span of four years. In these four years, the scale of their weddings has grown. For instance, their first wedding saw a guest list of 150 people while they recently were in talks for an event which would boast a guest list of over 1,500 people.
Fahd and Ayesha have great ideas up their sleeves; the exceptionally creative couple comes up with ideas that clients simply love. People also get inspired by their Instagram page
@thesocialsquadpk, as there are so many fun ideas out there. A Caribbean getaway, a Mediterranean horizon, a regal Mughal theme and much more. Something for everyone is the idea and the strength is in execution. One adventurous bride wanted a ‘Coffee with Mariam’ theme event, Mariam being the bride.
The talented duo manage these massive events with a close-knit team of 9 to 10 extremely dedicated team members who understand the brand’s vision, aesthetic and work ethic very clearly.
Their weddings always stand out because of their attention to detail and that is perhaps one of the distinguishing features of their style.
“We meet the bride and groom several times before giving any numbers. Whether you’re paying a small or large amount, you’ll get the same service. Our work is more detailed, in terms of customization so it requires more time than other event planners, which is why we cannot take up too many projects at a time,” says Fahd when talking about how they approach each project. Because of the way they work, Fahd and Ayesha have been compared to the dynamic duo in
Made in Heaven, the Amazon Prime show directed by Zoya Akhtar about two Delhi-based wedding planners, by many clients and fans alike.
Ayesha admits that there is some
filmy element to the way they work. For instance, Fahd usually decides on a theme song for every wedding, from which he takes inspiration from. “I’ll listen to it everywhere, in the car on repeat. And I’ll make it a point to use that song somewhere in the wedding.” But his song choice isn’t limited to Bollywood. “I love Ali Sethi and Abida
jee also.”
Undoubtedly, December is the most hectic time of the year, reveals Ayesha. For instance, in 2021, they executed 16 events in 28 days. Despite that, each event is special for them. “Ayesha tells me I’m stupid like that,” Fahd says jokingly. “I miss my brides whenever we end an event.”
And the Social Squad has seen some interesting brides. “There was Fiza, who did not want any plastic products at her wedding and wanted everything to be very eco-friendly,” shares Ayesha. The duo worked with NOWPDP to create organic fabrics so as to no produce waste, and 30% of their budget went to those artisans. “It was the most thoughtful event we’ve done.”
Speaking about how the pandemic has affected wedding culture in Karachi, the event planners were quick to highlight that COVID-19 forced people to have smaller weddings. “Now people don’t mind having intimate events; it’s not something that’s looked down upon.” Ayesha also added that now people aren’t spending for quantity but quality instead. So the budgets may have not changed but the size and guest list of weddings has become smaller than what used to be the norm pre-COVID.
Another trend noticed by the duo is how interactive clients want the wedding to be. One client wanted a
Jeeto Pakistan style game show at their wedding, while some brides opt for theatre performances. People now also want pre-wedding thematic events, other than the traditional mayun/mehndi that would usually kick off the wedding festivities. “Clients have very elaborate and detailed concepts now,” Ayesha concludes.
It’s not always smooth sailing though. Naturally, weddings are a stressful and emotional time, therefore one can only imagine the family drama Ayesha and Fahd would get sucked into during wedding preparations. “It’s hard. Some weddings, especially the big ones, do see conflict. Sometimes the fathers of the bride and groom are fighting; one wants more importance than the other,” reveals Fahd. But the team is prepared for such fighting and therefore the all make sure to cater to all family members and make sure peace prevails.
In conclusion, Fahd has some advice for upcoming brides. “Whether Covid or no Covid, intimate weddings are the way to go. Less is definitely more. We have to be safe also while Covid is around so we make sure our brides and grooms are vaccinated. We make sure all our labour is also vaccinated also. It’s a post pandemic world, we have to live with it.”
