Bringing Pakistani Tradition to Brooklyn: Sara and Adil

When Sara and Adil came to Dobbin St they knew the venue provided the blank slate they were searching for to create the aesthetic they wanted. From the cuisine, serving style, table decoration, and room ambience, the couple made Dobbin St their own. Scroll on to read more about their stunning reception filled with Pakistani traditions.

Are you local to Brooklyn?

We live in Williamsburg, so having all of our friends and family in our neighborhood was great!

What was your ‘something blue?’

We are Pakistani so we don’t have a “something blue.” Instead, both of us wore very traditional Pakistani clothing. Adil wore a sherwani and a kullah on his head. I wore a lengha, a complimenting shawl, and a full set of bridal jewelry by the incredible Reema Malik. It took months to create, a few flights back and forth from Pakistan, but it came out so much better than I could imagine. I can’t take any credit, I have to thank the amazing designers for bringing my vision to life. Our photographer, Khaki Bedford, did an excellent job capturing them.

How did you two meet?

We met five years before we got engaged. Our mutual friend set us up. We like to say we met at the wrong time, and then came together at the right one. When we reconnected those few years later, we got engaged within a couple months- we just knew it was right.

What was your favorite part about the wedding day?

Definitely our Pakistani traditions! When the groom’s party made their entrance, my family stopped them and asked for payment before they could come in. There was some playful banter back and forth before they were warmly welcomed into the reception. Because the venue was so intimate, we were able to do this on the mic and have all of the guests participate. Later, during the reception, the bride’s family steals the groom’s shoe and his side has to negotiate a payment to get it back. All of Adil’s friends immediately offered their shoes to him, which was really funny. My favorite part of the night was when both sides prepare dances to perform. We didn’t take it too seriously, so we had a lot of fun with it. When else do you perform choreographed dances? My nephew performed with his best friend, my sister with her husband, Adil’s siblings and friends. It meant a lot that they put in the time and effort to do that.

Did anything unexpected happen?

In the middle of the groom’s friends and family dance, Adil got up and performed with them. It was so joyful, he had the biggest smile on his face and I couldn’t stop laughing.

On the other end, we had some inevitable snafus. Our fryer malfunctioned, leaving our appetizers cold. My brother, always cool in a crisis, coordinated to have the appetizers prepared at a restaurant in Manhattan, brought over in an Uber, and served on time. No one even knew.

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?

Adil and I are very lucky to want similar things out of life. We are looking forward to traveling, living a beautiful life with purpose and goodness.

What was your wedding inspiration?

When I pictured our wedding, I knew I wanted to look around the room and recognize the faces of our guests. An intimate event in our culture is rare, but it was important to us both. I also wanted it to be a wedding of our time, stylish with an emphasis on aesthetics. Laura from ‘Until We Wed’ understood this. I explained to her the aesthetic of the event and let her do her magic. I worked with her but tried my best not to limit her. I am so happy I didn’t, because she created some magic. She is truly an artist with her work!

Finally, I pictured a very smooth event. It was important that there was a flow to the evening with so many traditions and punctuations. I could never have achieved this without our 360 wedding planner Ryann and the incredible staff at Dobbin St. They organized a seamless event with incredible patience. You all are phenomenal!