We had the most magical setting in an old ruin in the Agafay desert for our Henna party.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We’re Anum and Paul-Adrien, a couple living in London and working in tech. I’m Canadian with a Pakistani background, and Paul-Adrien is French. Travelling has been a big part of our relationship; we love discovering new places and experiencing different cultures together, so you might find us travelling every other month (if work allows). We also share a love for music, food, and dogs!
I enjoy planning everything—from our trips to arranging every detail of our wedding. While some may find wedding planning stressful, I found it really fun and loved being involved in every little detail. From choosing the location, transport, where to host our guests, music, flowers, outfits, and, of course, the food, I enjoyed planning every aspect. Maybe as a career move, I should become a wedding planner.
And we love to host, so hosting the ultimate wedding party was important to us. It was also exciting to find a way to blend our Pakistani and French heritages. Paul-Adrien really embraced my culture by busting out some great dance moves during the henna night. This is usually a tradition in Pakistani Henna parties where there’s choreographed dancing. While I was too shy to do my own dance, Paul-Adrien stole the show (he really loves the limelight)! Our wedding was a beautiful mix of our cultures and really captured who we both are together.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met at a university in Montreal, Canada, in the summer of 2016. We had mutual friends who we met each other through and we really hit it off. Every Sunday during the summer, we would go to Piknic Électronik, a day party in Montreal, with our friends, but we always left early to hang out and grab dinner together. We liked each other right away but didn’t act on it for a while (I guess we were both shy) and just kept hanging out. Then, one night at a nightclub, we were dancing and having fun, and I decided to make the first move and kiss him. Paul-Adrien likes to pretend he was about to make the first move, but really it was me. Since then, we’ve been inseparable. A year later, we moved to Paris and then to London a year and a half after that.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Right away. It was a very easy and natural relationship from the start. We were so comfortable with each other, as if we had been together for years.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Paul-Adrien had a grand plan to propose with a Saint Bernard dog during a ski trip in Switzerland, but due to COVID, we couldn’t go when he wanted to propose, so he had to improvise. Instead, while we were hanging out at his stepdad’s place in Paris in 2020, he told me to close my eyes. After disappearing for 5-10 minutes, I suddenly heard loud panting and sniffing. I opened my eyes to see a random golden retriever and Paul-Adrien on one knee, proposing. I was so confused but incredibly happy and excited, not sure where to look or what to do.
It turned out he had run to the neighbour’s house to borrow their dog for the proposal because he really wanted to include a dog somehow. The whole situation was very funny, with the neighbour equally puzzled. Although it wasn’t a total surprise since we had discussed marriage and our families had started talking about it, the proposal itself was an unexpectedly funny and cute moment—and in true Paul-Adrien fashion. Sadly, I couldn’t keep the dog. But I kept the man and the ring!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Definitely, everything we did for our Henna party in the desert. We had the most magical setting in an old ruin in the Agafay desert, hired an amazing band (Tarwa n Tiniri) to play for us, and set up tents for our guests to spend the night. It was practical, as leaving late at night would have been rough through the desert and dunes, but it was also a unique and fun experience with all our favourite people. We danced till sunrise and barely got any sleep because we were all so happy and having the best time of our lives! We want to recreate this night for our 5-year anniversary.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
While we were getting ready for the Henna party there was a crazy storm going on. The windows kept banging, and I just pretended it wasn’t happening by ignoring all the banging and chaos I could hear outside. Meanwhile, Paul-Adrien got a call from our organisers asking if there’s any way we can move the party to the next day (we had a one-day break between the 2 events so it could have been possible) because in the desert it was even worse with the wind. All the tents and decor were blowing away. He calmly said no, we will be arriving in a few hours, and to please handle it. He never told me about this call until after the wedding! And as we were done getting ready and going for photos with the family, everything cleared up and the organisers did their magic and put everything back together before we all arrived. I’m glad I was blissfully unaware of that call and kept pretending everything was fine.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story? The history of the ceremony dress…
For the Henna party, I’ve always been obsessed with Sabyasachi, so I knew I needed to wear one of his designs. My lehnga came with a long top, but I wanted to wear a crop top style with it. My mom bought me a few fabric options that could go with it, and we designed and tailored the top with a tailor in London.
For my wedding dress, I visited about four stores and tried on maybe ten dresses. I was about to settle on one that I wasn’t completely in love with. On a whim, I decided to check out one last store when Paul-Adrien’s mom was visiting us. So we went to Browns Bride. I tried on two Vivienne Westwood dresses and we both fell in love right away. It was hard to choose between the two, but I’m so happy I found my dress. To me, it’s timeless, simple, yet a bit edgy—everything I wanted.
For Paul-Adrien, it was much more straightforward. We went to Tom Ford, he tried on a tuxedo, he looked great (because who wouldn’t in Tom Ford!), and he got it.
LOCATION Henna Party – Agafay Desert; Wedding Ceremony & Party – Oberoi Hotel, @oberoihotels PHOTOGRAPHER Sarah Burton Weddings, @sarahburtonweddings FLORIST Laura – The Bloom Room Marrakech, @thebloomroom.marrakech CATERING Henna Party – La Conciergerie de Marrakech, @laconciergeriedemarrakech; Wedding – The Oberoi, Marrakech, @theoberoimarrakech ENGAGEMENT RING Groom’s grandma’s diamond, designed for Anum by Antoine Camus, @antoinecamusjoaillerie WEDDING RINGS Cartier, @cartier BRIDE’S CEREMONY OUTFIT Henna Night: Lehnga – SABYASACHI, @bridesofsabyasachi; Top – Custom Made; Wedding: Vivienne Westwood, @viviennewestwood BRIDE’S SHOE Henna Night: Sandro Paris, @sandroparis; Wedding: By Far, @byfar_official BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Henna Night: Mom’s; Wedding: Custom designed diamond earrings from groom’s mom HAIR & MAKEUP Lola Bellezza, @lolabellezza SUIT & SHOES Tom Ford, @tomford ACCESSORIES Cufflinks – Lanvin, @lanvin
