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The big fat Indian wedding is packed with ceremonies and rituals. As the wedding season dawns, brides-to-be are busy making preps to look their best at all the events in the run-up to their special day, including the D-Day! While make-up, hair and jewellery are the key elements for a bride to look beautiful, the clothes she wears for all the ceremonies is a rudimentary factor that needs detailed attention.
Indian bridal trends are transforming in terms of colours, fabrics, designs and styles. There’s an emphasis on making elegant clothing choices. The chances of seeing the old bright, ethnic colours and traditional fabrics with some outstanding designs from the previous decades are high. Below is a handy guide on what to wear for seven key ceremonies that will make you stand out on your D-day:
Engagement
Since red is considered to be the ‘auspicious colour’ for the bride, especially on the wedding day, you can opt for shades of traditional pastels and cream for the engagement. Your first special occasion in the series of ceremonies in the run-up to the wedding is usually a low-key affair, which gives you the chance to experiment with your outfit. Gowns made from satin with some zari work on them can give an exquisite look and make you feel comfortable throughout the entire evening. Satin is a chic and opulent fabric with a wonderfully shiny face, which adds grace, style and form. Designers also advise brides to go for floral designs for a fresh and soft look.
Mehendi
Avoid light colours on this day as you wouldn’t want to mess up your dress with mehendi stains. A crop top and a skirt or a lehenga choli can be an ideal attire for this ceremony, preferably in shades of pink, mazarine blue, cordovan, peach, etc. Floral designs on organza can have a decent dreamy effect, and if it’s a lehenga, it can be paired with a plain satin blouse to give a light and breezy look, especially if it’s an open-air ceremony with canopies.
Sangeet
For the sangeet, you can go bold and choose from a palette of bright colours as the ceremony often begins in the evening and goes well into the night. Fancy jacquards in shades of violet, magenta, beet red and garden green can give a trendy yet traditional look to the bride shaking a leg on the dance floor.
Haldi
Dressing in yellow is the usual choice for this ceremony. But a bride has to stand out from her guests. Ideally, opt for some new colours and there is no dearth of choices here! Turquoise, indigo, peach and fluorescent yellow are the go-to hues this season. In terms of design and fabric, anarkali suits made out of modal satin and cotton satin fabrics will render a magnificent look, thanks to its natural lustre and glaze. Solid-dyed fabrics clubbed with patches of prints can also work like a charm.
Tilak ceremony
With people more conscious of looking at sustainability as a part of their life, they recycle old saris as a gesture of paying homage to their family sentiments. If you enjoy stalking celebrities for the best fashion advice, you will know that long-sleeved blouses go well with such saris. Most commonly spotted are cool colours like cream and pink, which are elegant and light.
Wedding
Both the bride and the groom should be dressed to bedazzle the crowd on their special day. The colour palette for this ceremony has to be vibrant and rich to add grace to the mandap decor and mood. Golden, red, barberry, maroon and green with embellishments in gold or silver are traditionally preferred to get that royal feel. Goti patti work is back this year in blouses, as also lehengas in subtle warm hues and pastel colour combinations.
Cocktail/Reception
On this day, the bride has a chance to step out of her traditional attire and experiment with some fusion outfits. A beautiful blend of contemporary and traditional designs, fusion gowns are in vogue this season. Also, make it a point to leave the reds and pinks aside and look for shades such as teaberry pink, olive green, coral and matte. Remember, ghaghras made out of butta fabrics give a subtle yet fashionable look.
(The author is CEO, Ankur Textiles)