A Pakistani drama hardly feels complete without a shaadi, so wonderfully unique to our culture. Despite varying circumstances, brides are never toned down in enrobed jewels and a plethora of color. Costume designers have continually and unfailingly dressed onscreen brides on their wedding days entirely suited to their respective personalities, overarching circumstances, and particular story plot. It’s spectacular really, the way each character exudes a heavy chunk of their personality through the new embarkment on their lives, simply on what they wear.

Suraiyyah from ‘Dastaan’ 

Suraiyyah was loving, kind and incredibly reserved in demeanor. On her wedding day, she wore a sunny yellow and bubblegum pink suit that radiated her personality. With vintage petal earrings and minimalistic makeup, it was a honeyed occasion.

Shireen from ‘Sang-e-Mar Mar’

Incredibly innocent Shireen suffered from unrequited love with her childhood sweetheart Aurang, yet as luck is hardly ever on our side, she would never belong to him. While she lives in her daydreams, the simple Shireen hails from a remote Pashtun village where stiff moral didactic compasses reign. She exudes a calmness about her throughout her life, and quietly lives in the shadows. Her dreamlike wedding night depicts Shireen rich in earthy tones symbolic to her life in rural solitude.

Yasmeen from ‘Pyarey Afzal’

Yasmeen was outstanding. Bold, brave and fearless, Yasmeen fell hard for an already besotten Afzal. Unrequited love never swayed her, and despite giving off an incredibly egotistic vibe, her compassion and generous nature shone through, in particular when she vowed to unite Afzal with the love of his life, Farah. Her chivalry and softness were breathtaking, and her engagement to Afzal (which the latter only agreed to because of his heartbreak over Farah) saw Yasmeen wear a cream and turquoise lehenga. She always remained level-headed, cool and collected. Her loyalty in her love for Afzal proved worthy when she gave up her love for his happiness.

Kashaf from ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’

Kashaf has a fiery presence, is rather fussy at times, and tends to slip into a negative space of incessant complaining about the imperfections of human life. She always keeps her guards up about her and cannot fathom a man loving her, what with her own turbulent relationship with the father who abandoned her. Turquoise sums up Kashaf rather perfectly; energetic, grounding and incredibly loyal (to both her intimate family and Zaroon). Dapples of maroon within her attire represent her passion and zest for always speaking her mind.

Anmol from ‘Dil Lagi’

Anmol is a force to be reckoned with. Her wedding day was forced upon her after various threats were made her way by the rather overtly demanding Mohid, whose dogged determination to have her as his wife was unfading. Anmol is independent, intense and oozes confidence; she isn’t afraid of anyone. She splashes on an impassioned red with striking gold; simple and a clear statement – don’t mess with Anmol.

Romaisa from ‘Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai’

Romaisa is achingly humble, kind yet resilient. Her soft and tender nature is what the dashing Nabeel instantly falls for – and quickly pursues her. Her engagement night has Romaisa decked in a gorgeous off-white gown with sparkling sequins and is very fitting to her seeping innocence.

Sammi from ‘Sammi’

Sammi’s wedding day comes to a grinding halt when her husband-to-be, Pervaiz is brutally murdered by her brother. Sammi’s life follows as an unfortunate dizzying downfall from there on, and the green undertone on her dupatta signifies just that; her life after her wedding day would never be the same again. Shortcomings befall her, yet Sammi manages to smile through it all with sheer kindness with whoever falls her way; hence the bright pink.

Saman from ‘Bin Roye’

From the moment Saman is introduced in ‘Bin Roye,’ there remains a sense of tranquillity and contentment about her. She’s incredibly generous, friendly and patient – and it’s no wonder the dapper Irtaza falls for her instantly when he’s abroad studying.  She’s your incredibly simple girl next door, and her wedding night has Saman fashioned in the utmost traditional manner, with a pinkish-beige that signifies a sense of warmth and peace.

Sassi from ‘O Rungreza’

Sassi is very much like Anmol, albeit a tad more frivolous in nature and lacks little regard for hurting those close to her. Sassi is forcibly married to her first cousin, the kind Qasim who puts up with her unending tantrums and crude behavior (because he loves her). Sassi is feral, untamable and lacks empathy. She dreams of becoming an actress and looks up to her cheating father a source of inspiration (after he falls in love with an actress himself). In a twisted unfolding of events, Sassi wears the finest jewels along with crimson red and coruscating gold – she will never miss an opportune moment to dress up in all entirety! While Anmol’s bridal outfit was heavy on red, Sassi’s is more gold – signifying wealth and opulence (both attributes Sassi dreams of).

And last but not least, the four leading women from ‘Mehndi,’ the classic PTV drama centered around four women and their turbulent marriages;

Alishba

Alishba is the only sister to have an arranged marriage to someone who cannot love her. He is cold, distant and unfailingly tries to divorce her and run into the arms of the love of his life. Alishba is broken, yet keeps plowing on to save her dwindling marriage. Her simple gold attire mirrors her personality precisely; an undying fear of success in her marriage and highly compassionate.

Sajjal

Sajjal has the least problematic marriage out of all her sisters until her husband is diagnosed with cancer. She wears purple on her wedding day with speckles of a brown border – both colors portraying strength and living life to the fullest. She values her family more than anything, and with the sandy brown Sajjal remains protective, sincere and very practical.

Malaika

A peachy orange for Malaika, that purports emotional strength in difficult times; she finds out she is adopted later on, and this destroys her internally. Yet she bounces back from such disparity and eventually comes to terms with her adoption.

And Laiba

Laiba’s yellow and red traditional dress sets her story up rather perfectly; her married life is plagued by an unfortunate miscarriage, however, her radiating positivity and perpetual optimism keep her going until the very end.

If there are some Pakistani brides we might have missed, let us know! Whose look is your favorite?