Pakistani wedding guest outfits in Canada, made to measure

What guests usually wear to each event

Customs differ between families, so ask the hosts if there is a colour theme. As a general guide:

• Mehndi: colour and movement. Yellows, greens, oranges and pinks, lighter fabrics, and trousers you can dance in. A sharara or gharara is popular, as is a short kameez with a full trouser.
• Nikah: often quieter and more modest, sometimes in a mosque or a family home. Soft colours, full or three-quarter sleeves and a dupatta you can drape over your head comfortably. Our guide to modest sleeves, necklines and lengths helps here.
• Reception or walima: the dressiest event for guests. Richer fabrics, deeper colours and more embellishment, while avoiding the heavy red associated with the bride.

Fabric for summer halls and winter receptions

Much of the Canadian wedding calendar falls between May and September, when guests move between hot outdoor photos and cold air-conditioned halls. Chiffon and georgette dupattas look light in photos, and a lined cotton silk or raw silk kameez holds its shape through a long evening; our cotton silk and raw silk guide explains the difference. A thin shawl in your bag solves the air conditioning.

Winter weddings call for weight and warmth: velvet for a reception, or a karandi or jacquard kameez with a velvet or embroidered shawl. Remember the coat. A long, full kameez with a wide dupatta is hard to fit under a parka, so many guests keep the coat in the car and plan for the short walk.

Choosing the level of embellishment

Embroidery, lace and borders can be added to an outfit we are stitching, at three levels on the quote form. Delicate work sits at the neckline or sleeves, detailed work adds the hem, and statement work is bolder, for Eid and parties. What is possible on your fabric and design is confirmed in your written quote, so describe the effect you want and ask what can be done rather than naming a specific technique. The fancy work page for Canada shows how this is agreed.

For a reception, statement work on the kameez with a plainer trouser usually looks more polished than embellishment everywhere. For a mehndi, delicate work on a bright fabric keeps the outfit light. If you have your heart set on a particular look from a photo, use the custom design route and attach the image.

Planning several outfits at once

If you are attending three or four events, put every outfit in one enquiry. You send your measurements once, we check them once, and the written quote covers the lot, including delivery and any import duties, taxes and customs or courier fees, so nothing is due on arrival. For Canada, the quote currency is agreed with you when you enquire, and payment is made in full before work starts.

It also lets you plan the set as a whole: a colour story across the events, one outfit you can rewear at Eid, and trousers or dupattas that mix and match. Our guide to matching dupatta and trouser colours is useful here.

When to order

Production takes 5 to 7 working days from approval and full payment, and shipping to Canada is extra and varies. Wedding invitations often come with plenty of notice, so use it: order as soon as the dates are fixed, and tell us the first event date in your enquiry. If you are sending an unstitched formal suit, allow time for it to reach us too.

Guests order this way from Brampton, Mississauga and right across Canada. Start with a quote request listing each event and the look you have in mind.