Bibi Magazine Celebrates 25 Years of Bridal Shows in the Houston Area

By Elvia Francis

HOUSTON: Twice a year in the Houston area, Bibi Magazine brings their luxurious South Asian wedding showcase, popularly known as the “Bibi Bridal Show”, accompanied with the top echelon bridal vendors, to the city’s most prominent nuptial venues.

This past weekend Bibi Magazine celebrated their 25th Bibi Bridal Show with an exclusive, invite-only soirée at Mr. Peeples in downtown Houston on Thursday, October 8, and a wedding showcase, complete with fashion-show segments, open to the public on Sunday, October 11, at the Sweetwater Country Club in Sugar Land.

Launched in 2000 with the cumulative efforts of Ayesha Hakki and her partners, Shabana Haq and Zooni, Bibi Magazine is the longest-running, largest-circulated South Asian fashion magazine in the United States, and is seen as the benchmark in South Asian bridal and fashion publications. When Bibi Magazine first started, there was no other publication or website targeting the South Asian-American demographic.

Now, with the surgence of the Internet (such websites as Pinterest) and mainstream media (i.e. the Indian wedding scene in Fox 26’s hit television show, New Girl), South Asian weddings have come into the forefront of American culture. Even Washingtonian Magazine’s arts editor, Emily Codik, has taken notice, with her article last month on “How Indian Weddings in America Became So Amazing—and So Pricey.”

While costs for the average North American wedding can range from $26,000 to $36,000, the costs of South Asian wedding ceremonies vary from $34,000 to $2 million. Despite this large range, the South Asian wedding industry averages only $11 billion annually, while the North American counterpart yields $50 billion each year. “With such immense monetary value and cultural significance, it just makes sense that wedding professionals also strategically align their services to the South Asian-American demographic,” says Zeb Mamsa, Bibi Magazine’s advertising director and bridal show producer.

But, if nothing else, South Asian brides can always get prepared with the biannual Bibi Bridal Show, with its complimentary admission and lovingly arranged gift bags for pre-registered brides! In fact, Bibi Magazine’s upcoming Spring 2016 bridal show will be held on Sunday, April 24, 2016 from 12PM to 5PM at the Embassy Suites – Energy Corridor (11730 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77079). South Asian-American brides can also further organize their wedding planning essentials with Bibi Magazine’s yearly print publication titled the “Bibi Bridal Annual,” which retails for $7 and can also be bought online at bibimagazine.com/bibi-annual-print-magazine.