Getting hitched comfortably

The soon-to-be-married couple is gearing up to look their best on their D-Day. But best does not necessarily mean ornate attires that you have to drown in or so much jewellery that it’ll make you perspire in the overpowering heat. This summer, customise your wedding trousseau to defeat the climatic extremes. This is what fashionistas are telling you — don’t go overboard with fabrics, embellishment and cuts. Comfort should be the most important factor, they advise.

The trend this wedding season is combination fabric. For example, one can have chiffon, net or georgette lehenga or saris with a wedding touch - adorn these with Benarasi, Kanjeevaram silk, brocade border or velvet cutouts. It’ll feel comfortable and look absolutely smashing! Last summer, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee had adorned brides in huge flared lehengas in fine cottons like mull, linen with broad borders of heavy silks and velvet. These were further embellished with heavy heritage embroidery, giving the apparel a regal touch.

This year, he has brought the ‘garden to the auspicious venue.’ Flower prints, flower motifs and rich embroidery make the bride appear not only beautiful, but also fresh and breezy. He isn’t alone in making the bride comfortable. All top designers specialising in wedding wear are going out of their way to make both, the bride and the groom, comfortable and attractive on their wedding day. To get the comfort level high, designers have opted for a novel way. Keeping the outer garment showy; they have changed the material of the inner lining to natural fabric like silk, raw silk, satin or cotton.

Mumbai-based designer duo Sujata and Sanjay, say, “This season, the wedding trends are changing in many ways. The fabrics are no more nets and georgettes; the brides are experimenting with fine blends of silks and woven fabrics, adding to the rich look.”

One is likely to find most brides and grooms ditch heavy outfits to opt for a comfortable and smart look henceforth in summers. Heavily embroidered outfits will become things of the past while print and embroidery take centre stage. The couple isn’t worried about age-old style of dressing in heavy Kanjeevaram or Benarasi saris. They opt for something, which is easy to carry, and roam and mix around with guests and relatives.

Designers also suggest that it’s best to understand one’s own personality and dress accordingly. Whether it’s a lehenga, sari or gown, it should reflect your own style. Accessorise well, but ensure that you don’t overdo it. Keep it minimalist, yet edgy - the key to look great, advise the specialists.

Hyderabad-based designer Shilpa Reddy, says, “Even if the couple belongs to traditional families and don’t want to get away from all the religious steps, they can opt for fabrics with a rich look and fine texture to make it traditional and functional at the same time. Silk with fine cotton blends will give them a good flow, along with a lustrous look and fine texture. For rituals like sangeet and mehendi, the bride should keep it minimalistic and give enough room for the henna application.’’ They suggest to wear glamorous, lacy crop tops with short sleeves lined with cotton fabric over bright-coloured printed cropped loose pants for the mehendi ceremony. This will aid in easy application of mehendi and also be airy and comfortable to sit through the procedure.

There is a lot of experimentation in the colours of the attires, too. No more red, maroon, yellow, orange or the usual colours associated with wedding rituals. “The colours we are working on this season are ivory, blush pinks, peaches, beige and rich golds on fabrics of this scorching heat: tulle, georgettes and chiffons. These fabrics are lighter, feel great; they also drape and fall brilliantly. The silhouettes are a little more complex with layering and draping. We are doing a lot of tone on tone embroideries and also using muted sequins to embellish our garments,’’ explains Bengaluru-based designer Jyoti Sachdev Iyer, known for her customised apparel.
And when it comes to jewellery, absolute minimum should do. No need for a summer bride to resemble a gold-diamond jewellery shop. For mehendi, sangeet or haldi ceremonies, one can opt for real floral jewellery — hair band, gajras, garlands or bangles. For the main ritual, light-weight gold jewellery will look great.

The dressing sensibilities of grooms, too, have changed. Brighter hues like pinks and peaches can be played around with. Breaches with a twist and bandhgalas have been in vogue for a while now, and will continue to be so. Even if he has to wear a dhoti or a mundu for the main ceremony, he can experiment with his attires for the reception and other functions. Jodhpuras, low or drop crotch trousers can be topped with short kurtas and jackets.

But in case one wants to opt for suits, there are a number of options for colours and fabric. Black and white are passé. Grey, sky blue, light pink are some of the colours preferred for the suits. And you can mix and match them also. You can wear a patterned shirt and textured vest.

Opt for either a minimalistic printed bow tie or a traditional tie. Keep the fabric as natural as you can — even pure wool can be comfortable. Linen shirts and jackets are a rage.
So, what you take home this summer is the fact that comfort comes first. But, of course, this does not mean that you have to compromise on the glamour or traditional factor. They can all be made totally compatible to ensure that you look your fabulous best on your wedding day, the heat notwithstanding.