KARACHI: Pakistan’s leading wedding planners in the southern port city of Karachi recommended people on Wednesday to rely on synthetic flowers for decoration and utilize daylight while arranging cost-effective marriage ceremonies.
The advice comes in the midst of the “wedding season” in Pakistan and falls ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Asked how people could go for budget-friendly wedding décor without compromising on aesthetics, most event planners said floral work was at the heart of such functions but the idea of using original flowers was outdated and more costly.
“The kind of synthetic flowers available in the market look better than the original ones,” Fahd and Ayesha Nassr, founders of The Social Squad, told Arab News. “The flower budget reduces by 20 percent and gives the best look. It also saves nature and doesn’t waste a lot of flowers.”
They pointed out that original flowers were no longer used in international weddings in countries like the United States and United Arab Emirates.
As inflation increases and Pakistan’s economy finds itself in a downward spiral, people are beginning to find it increasingly difficult to arrange dream weddings within their limited budget.
Waqas Vohra, chief executive officer of Vohra Production and Event Management, endorsed the idea of using artificial flowers while noting the real flowers cost twice the amount on wedding functions.
“90 percent of our clients opt for artificial flowers,” he said while speaking to Arab News.
The Karachi-based event planners pointed out lighting was also a major highlight in most marriage ceremonies.
“Flower work enhances the overall feel and ambiance of the event, even if the décor behind the flowers isn’t as efficiently done,” Vohra said. “A simple décor and round table setup would look good if lighting and floral work have been paid attention to.”
Fahd and Ayesha Nassr said lighting added to the cost of any wedding while emphasizing the use of daylight to save electricity and a precious amount of money.
“It [the use of daylight] changes the whole budget flow of the event,” they continued. “30 percent of the budget can be reduced on this.”
The venue of the event can also raise the cost of a wedding, said the event planners, adding a good selection of the site of the function could help address that.
“A private venue or one with a view like a garden or overlooking water reduces extra production décor budget,” Fahd and Ayesha said. “In case of a garden-like private venue, for instance, there is no need of carpets or boundaries. It saves a lot of money.”
Jehanzeb Ghafoor, CEO ARJ Events, said a marriage venue with an aura could make the wedding cost-effective since the host would not need to invest a great deal in decoration. He pointed out that Marquees were usually “quite expensive” since they required complete transformation.
“Everyone wants a customized décor in a marquee which goes way out of one’s budget,” he added. “Opting for pre-fabricated ceiling installations and pre-installed solutions helps cut the cost in that case.”
Ghafoor also maintained that people should focus more on the entrance and stage presentation since these left an impression on most guests.
“Make it [the entrance] wow because that is going to be your first impression,” he told Arab News.
