Ayesha & Hamza's heritage wedding at The Grand Imperial, Lahore

When Ayesha and Hamza set out to plan their wedding, the brief was deceptively simple: honour both families' traditions while leaving room for the couple's own tastes. What that meant in practice was a three-function celebration spread across one of Lahore's most storied venues, paced over a long winter weekend.

Mehndi night

The mehndi was the warmest of the three functions — both literally (Lahore in mid-March can still be cool) and emotionally. Mehndi Atelier set up under garlands of marigold and string lights, with a low-stage seating arrangement that let the bride's sisters perform without barriers. Decor Diaries leaned into a deep-rose-and-gold palette, eschewing the typical mehndi-night green for something more intimate.

“We wanted the mehndi to feel like a family dinner, not a stage show. The decor team understood that immediately — the lighting was warm, the seating was close, no one was performing for a crowd.”

Baraat at The Grand Imperial

The Grand Imperial's main hall — built in 1894 — is famously hard to dress. Decor Diaries' approach was to work with the architecture rather than against it: minimal fabric installations, white florals, and warm-toned uplighting that picked out the original woodwork. SQ Photography's team of three caught the entry, the rasm-e-mehndi, and the family portraits inside the smaller library room — a quieter setup the venue rarely opens for events.

Walima

The walima moved to the venue's terrace garden the next evening — a gamble in March that paid off thanks to gas heaters and a backup tent on standby. Spice Studio served a 12-course Mughlai-fusion menu that dropped the typical chicken-karahi staple in favour of slow-cooked nihari and grilled fish. The night ended with a traditional doli dance and a quiet sehra exchange the bride's grandmother had been planning for years.