A Vision in Pink
whimsical gardens, Boba & SWEET SUMMER SERENADEs
Rabah & Bilal celebrated their Mendhi on May 31 and their Nikkah & Shaadi on June 2nd 2023 in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
We adore a girl with a vision. Our bride, Rabah, played with pretty pops of pink to create the most romantic wedding backdrop, filled with personalized touches of love. Imagine a wedding where every detail just whispers elegance.
For the couple’s personalized color palette, their outfits featured warm colors, with intricate details. The bride, Rabah, stunned in a white with gold toned embroidered outfit, accented with soft blush hues, while Bilal chose a beige and gold ensemble that complimented hers beautifully.
Rabah chose a blush dupatta that was heavily embellished with gold floral designs, matching the heavily beaded dress. For jewelry, she was draped in an array of white pearls, worn in her necklace, her nath, and her hair, while thoughtfully featuring hints of pink in her bangles and her beaded bag. Bilal’s two piece outfit featured a beige undertone, with his kurta-top embossed in gold with traditional designs reminiscent of florals and vines. His turban was a two-toned beige, similarly embossed, but with extra depth in design, and his wrist accessorized with a classic, brown leather watch. Paired together, the couple looked like art.
Outdoor at the Lake Chateau in Woodbridge, New Jersey the sunlight bathed the white backdrop adorned with hanging wisterias golden accents to create a dream-like atmosphere.
With this summer being pop culture’s season of pink, Rabah and Bilal couldn’t have picked a more perfect time to celebrate with an array of shaded pastels. For her inspo board, Rabah explains that
“Pink has been my favorite color my whole life, and I envisioned my wedding since I was a little girl.”
Pink not only played its part as a color, but also as a vibe. From the personalized signature pink drink, to the audio guest book’s creative nod to Taylor Swift’s “sorry [we] can’t come to the phone right now…”, and an array of soft pastel-hued roses (the most timeless), the entire setting hinted at sophisticated elegance.
Perhaps the sweetest of the “pink” DIY’s the couple chose to include was the bookshelf styled photo display titled “Down Memory Lane”. The display showcased photos of Rabah and Bilal’s beloved parents and grandparents’ wedding moments, with their own newly included, to take their guests through a visualized series of their joint family histories. For photograph opportunities for wedding guests, an ornately intricate, traditional styled mirror that reflected the natural beauty of the landscape and decor was the perfect feature.
While pink played its part in their artistic palette, the essence of Rabah and Bilal’s wedding was defined by two things- love and the village; With a sweet touch of home, our bride and groom received their custom wedding invitations directly from Pakistan, a nod to their roots. They spent a day putting together the pieces of their detailed invites surrounded by the help of friends and family. Rabah credits much of her DIY successes to her pretty women in pink- her bridesmaids. From crafting the invites, to all the little details of decor Rabah explains,
“My bridal party was the biggest part of my wedding! Without my bridesmaids and my sisters, none of my DIYs would have been possible or have my wedding go perfectly. All of them have a special place in my heart.”
The array of pink florals, to the guests adorned in a gorgeous palette of soft blushes, to the lovely rosé drinks with gold toppers, Rabah’s childhood dream came to life in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible.
“My bridal party was the biggest part of my wedding! Without my bridesmaids and my sisters, none of my DIYs would have been possible or have my wedding go perfectly. All of them have a special place in my heart.”
Of course- what wedding is complete without its surprise factor? For Bilal and Rabah, theirs was rain. While it slightly delayed their start time, it ended up being the most precious blessing by putting things into a deeper perspective. Rabah explains,
“The moment it started raining I was so upset and thought my entire wedding was ruined but it ended up being the complete opposite. I told myself that all I can do now is leave it up to Allah for my wedding to still go smoothly. My husband was so stressed when it started raining because I hadn't even made my entrance at that point, but when I finally was able to get a hold of my husband and talked to him during the rain, we both realized nothing else matters at that point. I was marrying the love of my life, rain or shine, and that's all that mattered.”
The excitement started early during the Baraat, with the groom dancing his way to the altar. As the tribe of pink bridesmaids lined their way, they carried white parasails as guests cooled off with white paper fans. Rabah met her Bilal at the altar, following his voice, as he sweetly sung her down the aisle strumming his guitar to In Dino by Atif Aslam.
Rabah fondly reminisces the beginning of her and Bilal’s relationship and how special this song was to the both of them.
“The song Bilal chose to sing me down the aisle to was In Dino by Atif Aslam. It meant a lot to us. During the beginning of our relationship we would listen to it all the time because it made us feel exactly like the lyrics! ”
Life is better with your arrival
زندگی تیرے آنے سے حسیں
Holding hands on the unknowing paths that we have walked
بے خبر راستوں پہ ہاتھ تھامے جو ہم چلے ہیں
As part of the fun South Asian tradition called the “jhoota chuppay”, the bride’s sisters excitedly stole the groom’s shoes and had him cough up money if he wanted his shoes back along with his bride at the end of the night. The excitement in the fun, lighthearted moment filled the room was one of our favorite moments from the night!
While reflecting back on their wedding events, Rabah and Bilal gave us the ultimate compliment as longtime viewers of our photography; Rabah explains,
“Working with Sunnyside was something I always wanted. I remember seeing their account first being created and since that day I always said this is the photographer that I want to capture my wedding day, regardless of when it is, and I'm glad that's what happened. They were able to capture everything I wanted and were so fun to work with. To say we were honored to be part of their special day would be an understatement!
MENDHI - a night for the girls
Rabah’s Enchanting garden photoshoot in Central New Jersey was the perfect backdrop for capturing her and Bilal’s love story. Picturesque blooms, dynamic trees and saturated greenery created a fairytale setting for enhancing their intimate and natural connection.
Rabah’s Mehndi featured her “something blue”, with hints of the blue that decorated the stage also complementing the touches of blue in her mehndi lehnga, with golden embroidered florals and designs.
Decorated with a cotton candy pastel backdrop on a gorgeous golden swing, Rabah’s mehndi began in full excitement, for a night filled with dancing and celebration. The bride’s entrance began with her floral adorned bridesmaids shimming firecracker sparklers down her aisle, lighting her way to the center stage.
My favorite moment from my Mehndi was DEFF my dance floor, having all my friends and family there dancing their hearts out and having the best time and being together was a moment I’ll never forget!
We want to take a moment to commend Rabah on all of the beautiful things she created during her wedding, from the beautiful pink mirror painted at the entrance of her Mendhi to the drawn nikanama at her Nikkah ceremony. She’s a blessed artist and her handcrafted touches made her wedding events so much more special for us to capture and for her guests.
Photography/Videography: Sunnyside Weddings @sunnyside.weddings
Venue: Lake Chateau @lakechateaubanquets
Hair/Makeup: Emaan Khawaja @emaan.makeup
Decor: AWDweddings @awdweddings
DJ: DJ Huma @dj_humaa
Boba: Akihi Bubble Tea Metuchen @akihibubbletea
Shaadi Shoes: Louboutin
Mehndi Shoes: Jimmy Choo
