A long time dream and aspiration had recently come true when we had the honour and privilege of producing Pakistan's very first Same Day Edit + Wedding Feature in our hometown of Islamabad. Ayza and Ali's wedding was the epitome of GRAND. Everything from decor, venues, clothing to the smallest detail of it all was carefully selected and hand-picked to ensure this wedding seemed larger than life!

On to the breakdown…

Planning & Execution: Similar to our Mexico "Save the World" trailer, I wanted to show Islamabad in its natural state. Been going there for the past few years, I can honestly say that there's certain things about the place which takes a toll on your senses that stay with you for life. So, I wanted to produce an introduction of the country as if someone were to watch it with their eyes closed as I took them on a stroll across the city. I really wanted to focus on the every day ambience of the city life: CD70 motorcycles racing through the traffic, naan kabobs sizzling over a BBQ - to the beautiful Adhan (call for prayer) being heard across the city were just some of the sounds I wanted to focus on for this piece. I think the instrumental of the Rubab really assisted in defining this part as it played beautifully over the imagery. Overall, I wanted to showcase the couple and their wedding in all its magical glory as they appeared against the backdrop of our nations capital.

Location Scouting: As traditional as Islamabad really is, it's just as metropolitan. Pakistan is truly transforming into a real estate haven with state of the art architecture, booming business complexes and five star residences suitable for anyone's lifestyle. This was a slight drawback for us as we wanted to show Islamabad for what it really is: a beautiful city surrounded by acres of mountains. Thus, we shot plenty of scenes up in the great mountains of Muree and Nathia Gali alongside the popular tourist spots of Monal, Daman-e-koh and Saidpur Village.

Day One: Nikkah – The Nikkah (Wedding Ceremony) was held at the gorgeous Faisal Mosque and was kept fairly small and intimate. At this point, we had already been in the country for a couple of weeks now and had the opportunity to interact with the families during the pre-functions. This allowed us to get close and catch some truly emotional moments at the mosque. I know it doesn’t seem like much judging off the trailer, but that’s only because I wanted the viewer to anticipate the couple’s first on-screen appearance and didn’t want to give away the close ups so soon!

Day Two: Mehndi – This HAS to be the most interactive and entertaining Mehndi I’ve been to in my life. Even being behind the scenes of it all, attending rehearsals and such, I was still blown away by the amazing choreography. The performances alone consisted of over 30 dance sequences, each out-doing the one prior! These people truly know how to put on a show and didn’t allow a second of divided attention from the 500+ guests in attendance. I wanted to use an epic, bone-chilling soundtrack for this part and I think the music we chose fit in just perfectly!

Day Three: Wedding – During our production consultation, Ayza mentioned she wanted to incorporate the “Something old, new, borrowed, blue” bit into her wedding. Having said this, we decided to scrap her prep shots and instead had her sit in the back of the 1957 Rolls Royce she entered in for her introduction. I could’t help but notice how astonishing Ayza looked this night, as if she had just risen right out of a Jodhaa Akbhar novel. We shot this evening from both a grand and intimate perspective, highlighting their ring exchanges and magical entrances.

Day Four: Reception (same day edit presentation night) – By this point, Pakistan’s intro, nikkah, mehndi and wedding had been edited and ready to inter-wine with the last and final footage from the reception. I’ve never been so anxious and nervous to present an SDE as I was this night. The anticipation from all the family, friends and honourable guests was both exciting and nerve-wrecking. The minute we hit that play button there was a long pause of silence; followed by waves of emotions as the audience cheered, laughed, danced and for some, who cried, throughout the entire presentation. Now, for those who are close with Ayza, know how over-hyper and jolly (or as I say “Aucha Pan”) she is. So much so, that she didn’t even cry on her wedding night, lol. For me, just witnessing the slight glisten in her eyes as she watched it was enough assurance I did something right to strike a chord in her

I want to thank Ali and Ayza’s families for having us come down and produce this. Special shout out to all the familiar faces from Toronto who made our stay more enjoyable. A big congratulations to all of you and thanks for helping us pull off one of the grandest features of the year!