Andhra Pradesh   

Get dressed in style to look gorgeous

Nivedita Ganguly

It's the season when wedding bells ring. This is the occasion of letting moolah flow like honey, extravagance and opulence being the key words. While traditional rituals are adhered to, wedding celebrations in the city have begun to acquire a cosmopolitan flavour. There are the hurried weeks of shopping - the wardrobe, jewellery and the home appliances, the trying-out-the-outfits sessions or the invitees list to make amidst a battery of relatives that come over for the grand ceremony. In all the foreseeable rush of the pre-wedding days, take out some time to look your best, relaxed, composed and gorgeous for the D-day. The mantra then is to plan, be organised. Organising a decent wedding here is tougher than the blessed state of matrimony the couple is stepping into. No wonder such rigours of organising and planning weddings have engendered a new breed of wedding planners and organizers.

While the other intricacies of wedding ceremony are taken care of by the wedding planners, when it comes to shopping the consumer has a plethora of options available everywhere. Designer stuff, haute couture brands, international brands, the finest trousseau collections, customised and designer-jewellery, complete home furnishing options.

People spend heavily on classy selections of sherwanis, lehangas and a host of trousseau collections, after all the price tag isn't all-important when it's a once in a lifetime occasion. It's the glamour, and experience that is important.

Just a few years back, it was brides who went shopping for their trousseau. But today the bridegrooms are turning fashion-conscious and are willing to spend large amounts of money on their wedding wear.

Till about a decade ago the male preferences were restricted to a dhoti-kurta or kurta-pyjama for the traditional ceremony and a suit for the reception. Today there is turnaround. For the last few years the sporting of ethnic wear - sherwanis, long kurtas, or even jodhpuris by the film heroes determined wedding wear. What is increasingly gaining ground is the advice sought by grooms on what to wear. Opinions are taken on shades, fabrics, and styles.

The fabrics normally used for the ensembles are silk, brocade, heavy crepes, jamevars, muga silk, tussar, polynosics (polyester-viscose) and other blends like polyester silk. In most of the boutiques and big shopping malls the outfits can be picked up off the shelves (if the sizes are readily available) or could be made to order. As far as colours go cream and gold are the most popular in the ethnic wear section.

The Indian bride, as she stands today at the crossroads of tradition and change, for her wedding wear chooses from a host of western and ethnic wear. Trousseaus also have undergone a sea change. Saris and salwar suits have given way to Indo-western designs. Most designers, who take orders for the entire trousseau, ensure they give their clientele a number of mix 'n' match outfits, such as kurtis that team up with a ghagra, trousers, or even a capri. These are matched with stoles, scarves, sequined and embroidered handbags, and shoes. Ghagras have invaded traditional South Indian weddings too. The ghagras no longer have a canned look about them, but are trendy and come in various styles such as the mermaid cut, fish tail cut, or simply a straight cut, which are designed to flaunt the silhouette, and can be teamed up with pants or chudidars.

But at the bottom of her heart lies her weakness for this traditional attire, the sari, which her great grandmother, grandmother, mother, and heroines of yore have draped and looked astonishingly beautiful on their wedding day. The sari remains, and will stay on. And today the bride prefers light fabric for saris, instead of heavy silks.

She also has options other than the traditional ones now. The varied designs and embroideries on the wide range of fabrics makes all the difference and gives it the special look to make the bride look absolutely stunning on this great event of her life.

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