He finally put a ring on it!
But the next few months will make you wish he hadn’t. JK, of course, but planning a wedding is not easy. And as a bride, well, you are at the center of every decision that needs to be made. From choosing a venue to the DJ and the food, the ceremonies you want, the people you want to invite, and last, but certainly not the least, what you will wear. S-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l! Need a little help? That’s why we’re here! Weddings are expensive in India, ranging from one lakh to a couple of crores. According to expert wedding planners, wedding expenses in India can roughly be divided into the following categories (see image below).
But your biggest concern as a bride will be your wedding attire. With everyone’s eyes on you, you want to look your best. You want to be an ethereal vision that knocks your soon-to-be husband off his feet. You owe it to yourself to look like the million bucks (and more!) that you are worth. After all, it is your day. You want to sizzle and command the attention in the room. Right?
So, let’s get started,
When we talk about what you will wear at your wedding, there are various aspects to remember. A bridal trousseau (we’re French and fancy like that) is an all-encompassing word that includes makeup, jewelry, shoes, handbags, lingerie, and regular clothes you will wear to get your facial done, etc. The word’s original meaning included household linens and everything the bride would bring into her new house. For this blog, however, we will only focus on the various outfits you will wear to your wedding events.
Planning your bridal attire
How do you know what to wear to your Sangeet or Haldi function? Should you wear a saree to your Sangeet, a salwar suit, or a lehenga? While there are several ways to make these decisions, here’s what we recommend.
Start with your personal style
Are you a boho-chic type of girl? Or a minimalist dresser who likes clean lines and solid colors? Are you a comfort-first or a ‘these-heels-are-killing-me-but-I-will-still-wear-them” kind of fashionista? Whatever your style, spend some time thinking about what you love, what looks good on you, and what you are most comfortable wearing. Ensure that all your wedding function looks stay true to your style. It’s easy to get caught up in what Alia Bhatt or Priyanka Chopra wore to their weddings and replicate them. But the fact is, this is YOUR wedding. Be inspired by them, but why not add your touches to make the outfit unique to you?
Plan your wedding events and your budget
This is critical as you need to know what you are wearing for which wedding ceremony and how much you can afford to spend on it. While it may feel like Indian weddings have a bazillion ceremonies that you need to dress up for, you do have some control over which ceremonies you want to include in your marriage and which ones you will avoid. You will also need to know whether you are repurposing your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding saree for any planned wedding events or buying each outfit. The venue and the decorations you prepare for each event will also play an important part in choosing the right outfits for each occasion.
Decide the mood of your wedding
Will you have a formal ballroom setting or an outdoorsy, semi-formal reception? The overall mood of your wedding matters when choosing your outfits. You don’t want to blend in with your decorations, but you do want to match the overall theme. This will help you create a common thread across your outfits and events.
Pick your jewelry first
Are you planning to wear your grandma’s or mother’s wedding jewelry for your pheras? Or are your in-laws gifting you some spectacular earrings? Since jewelry comes with many permutations and combinations, therefore the complexity, it makes sense to sort that out first before you think about your outfits. If you are planning to wear a heavy gold choker necklace for your Sangeet, the neckline of your lehenga should not compete for attention and instead showcase the necklace beautifully. This is why we suggest brides pick their jewelry before choosing their bridal wear. However, if you plan to buy your jewelry pieces, you could buy them after so that you ensure it complements your outfits well.
Choose bridal outfits by the event
Ideally, you should purchase your bridal wear starting with the most important event, the wedding lehenga, saree, or gown. Then the reception, the Sangeet, the cocktail, and lastly, the Mehendi and Haldi events. This way, you know what you are wearing for the main events, from which the sub-events take their cues.
Now that you know the theme of your wedding attire, the budget, and the ceremonies you will have at your wedding, let’s go shopping!
Things to remember when buying your bridal wear
When planning your budget for your bridal outfits, remember that you can buy a lehenga for Rs 20,000 or an exclusive designer outfit that costs lakhs. How do you choose what works best for you? Here are a couple of questions you should ask yourself.
- Do I want to wear a one-off designer piece that may take over a year to design and produce? Do I have the time? Do I have the budget? Exclusive pieces take a minimum of three to six months to prepare and are high-risk endeavors. Unless you have worked with the designer before, you could be sorely disappointed when you see the final product after spending time, money, and effort trying to bring your dream bridal outfit to life. On the other hand, when you buy from a store like Koskii, you see exactly what you are buying, and you can even get it tailored to your specific measurements.
- Is this a one-time purchase that I will never wear again? What do I want to do with my bridal wear once the wedding is done? In the name of sustainable fashion, most brides choose bridal wear that they can wear on other occasions. You can even take your bridal wear to brunch with your girlfriends on a Saturday. Or are you looking at selling your bridal wear? If you plan to repurpose your bridal outfit for other occasions, buy pieces you can easily pair with others. For example, buy a saree with multithread embroidery so you can easily pair it with another simpler, colored blouse for a family function in the future.
- The cost of bridal wear depends on the occasion. For example, wedding or reception lehengas cost more than Sangeet lehengas. It also depends on the amount of work on it. The more embroidery you have on the outfit, the higher the cost. What you wear can also have a cost implication. You could get a zari-embroidered silk saree for Rs 10,000. But you may not be able to get a bridal lehenga within that budget. Shopping at stores like Koskii will ensure you get the best range and quality for your budget. Our pieces are designed keeping the modern bride in mind. Why struggle with carrying an 8kg lehenga when you can get the same snatched look but with lighter material so that it doesn’t weigh you down? At Koskii, our bridal collection has a wide range, so you can choose exactly what you need in the color, style, and budget you want.
Why Choose Koskii?
Koskii is the destination of choice for the fashion-conscious who desire vibrant Indian occasion wear as quirky as their personal sense of style. Fashionistas can stay ahead of the trend with the season’s latest, created with the utmost care and attention to detail. Discover sharara suits, salwar suits, sarees, dress material and more in the latest cuts, colour, and material, with zari, cut dana, thread embroidery and other embellishments.