Let's Chalk It Up to Perfection.

My stunning cousin (one of the guests) in a chic pink & green jora!

Pakistani weddings are lengthy, elaborate and extremely colorful affairs! Other than family, desi (the Urdu word for anything Pakistani) food and the sweet, earthy and evocative scent of fresh rain, I miss attending weddings and the events associated with them in Karachi. To give you an idea, when Nadir and I got married, a trillion years ago, we just had five days of celebrations and only 350 guests in attendance - and that was considered a quick and small affair:) So, a couple months ago when we were invited to a family wedding at Chalk Hill Winery in Healdsburg, I literally danced crazily in excitement. Okay, that's an exaggeration but I was VERY excited because I would finally get to wear my new jora (desi clothes & now you know what desi means:) that I bought while I was visiting Karachi last December.

This was truly one of the most magical weddings I have ever attended. The gorgeous bride (and the handsome groom) had paid attention to the minutest of details. It was a relatively hot day, so they had exquisite white parasols for all the guests at the ceremony. Glass hurricanes with white pillar candles and white rose petals lined the walkway that led up to the seated area. The breathtaking views of the oak woodlands, the rolling green hills and the rippling streams were captivating beyond words! Before the bride arrived in one of the most stunning gold gowns, a drone "droned" above us as it captured this extraordinary scene. Amongst all this beauty, the colorful dresses, gowns, saris and joras were just the perfect accents and complemented the surroundings in the most magnificent manner. Needless to say, the bride stole the show - with her staggering beauty and elegance, her gown (the likes of which I've never seen) and her drop-dead gorgeous smile! Cody's a lucky guy. May you always live happily ever after, Sarah and Cody!