Planning a wedding can be full of many emotions: excitement, anxiety, stress, happiness…all bundled up in one. It’s important to remember that your wedding day is one of the biggest days in your life and it’s truly a special moment for you and your significant other. One of the most fun parts about wedding preparation is finding your outfits. Being a past bride, I can give some insight on my shopping journey, as well as tips that I would suggest to a new bride herself.
When searching for my wedding outfits, I created a vision board about 6 months prior to going to India to shop. I knew exactly what I wanted; something that I could look back in 20 years and love on me. I wanted my traditional outfit to have a charm that only I knew was meant for me. (Note – not everyone will like your outfit choice but the day is about you and your hubby! Pick what you love.) Once I got a good idea as to what I wanted each event to look like, I took that inspiration with me to India in a small notebook full of inspirational photos, colors, cuts, designs and so on.
As for my wedding outfit, I knew exactly which dress I wanted from the research I had done months before going to India. Crafted by the amazing Sabyasachi Mukerjee, it was the perfect combination of classic and modern. From the deep red color to the lace embroidery to the silhouette cut it was so unique and I felt that it was specially made for me. Luckily, I was able to score a private appointment with Sabyasachi himself, whom dressed me from head-to-toe in the bridal outfit of my choice. He complemented my bridal vision and assured me that this lengha was perfect for me.
When shopping for your wedding outfits it is important to keep two things in mind: choose outfits that make you feel like your most beautiful self and try to stick to classic pieces; pieces that you will be able to look back and think that your daughter can wear or perhaps you can re-purpose with other plain pieces to create another Bollywood look. I can’t wait until my brothers get married so I can mix and match my blouse/dupattas/lenghas with other simple pieces to for a whole new look. Going to India (or wherever it is that you plan on shopping) with a vision and a goal of what you want to look like will not only keep yourself on track but will help you stick to the budget that works best for you. – written by Nina Patel
