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In Indian wedding, there is a huge variety of attires that are worn in different corners of the subcontinent and within different cultures, e.g. in north India, the traditional north Indian wedding dress consists of salwar kameez teamed with a heavy dupatta; in north-east India, bride and groom are decked in their respective traditional dresses which differs from tribe to tribe; in east India, which generally comprises of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa, the traditional wedding outfit consists of saree, for women and dhoti-kurta, for men. In south India and in the west as well, the traditional wedding attire is saree but everywhere, the styles of wrapping the saree is different in different cultures.

However, these days, with the sudden mushrooming of umpteen numbers of fashion designers on the scene and the easy accessibility to a number of choices in apparels, the traditional wedding dress for different cultures and religions has been replaced by lehanga choli or designer sarees for the bride and sherwani or suit for the groom. The traditional red colour which was the quintessential colour for the Indian bride has been opened for experimentation by designers and now, although red continues to enjoy its elite status in the world of bridal wears, nevertheless, brides are opting for muted, pastel shades - nudes, blush pink, powder blue and other similar colours. Similarly, men also have moved way beyond the traditional kurta-pyjama or dhoti and have a wide range of designer sherwanis and suits and a rainbow of colours to choose from.

If you take a close look at the trends in Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011, you will find an ingenious use of traditional crafts coupled with ethnic as well as western silhouettes and a fine blend of embellishments, heavily textured fabrics, cutwork, and hints of crochet, appliqués and motifs in bridal wears. A fusion of banarasi brocades, bandhani, Ikats and velvets, embellished with glittering zari, gota patti work, badla and traditional metallic patterns are also in vogue these days.

For men, apart from Bandhgalas, Angarkhas and Sherwanis, stylish shirts with mandarin collars and bows with pin tucks and tiny pleats along with slim trousers are in fashion. Suits with round necks, or wide lapelled coats are also in huge demand by grooms who wish to don a flamboyant and a formal look on their D-day.

In Indian Christian weddings, where the colour of the traditional bridal wear is essentially white (which symbolizes virginity) has now also been opened for experimentation to suit the tastes of the modern bride and the virginal white bridal gown has been replaced by the seductive black. A whole new range of black wedding dresses combined with jet black lace was launched by Vera Wang at the ‘Fall 2012’ runway show in New York, last weekend.

So why wait, now that you have a knowhow about everything that is in vogue this wedding season? Just grab your sunglasses and step out to grab your wedding dress. Wait, take an advice and choose an outfit that you would be able to wear even after your wedding on other occasions and spend wisely.
Have a happy shopping spree!

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