Newly married? Well…. What? When? How? With whom???
Guys, I have been there. I can still remember the moment that my husband sent me the first text on 23rd July around 9:30 pm. It was a simple introductory text including a Hi and his name. At first instance, I couldn’t identify him but soon I realized and I got nervous. And, the next morning, we had our first call, and after it, our discussion continued everywhere, every time- from home to metro to office!!
The Journey & Wedding Dresses Ideas: Since it was an arranged marriage, and we never met, we both had no clue of each other’s personalities and are unknown to each other before engagement. The journey from engagement to a wedding is known as the courtship of two people soon to be wed. This is when we became familiar with each other and started knowing each other. Since we were living in two different cities, it was a long-distance partnership cum engagement.
A lot happened in this four-month journey. We started falling for each other, made it through the ‘honeymoon phase’, felt excited, and took care of small things. Soon, we noticed a few flaws in each other’s personalities. Later, we both decided to start accepting one another for who we are.
Soon after, the date of our D-day was finalized on 1st December, which we were actively waiting for. Now, staying far became even tougher, we both started back counting.
This is was the next phase of our relationship, the wedding planning phase. At this point, I was kind of out of moves. I wanted to have a simple wedding function with my loved ones. But my parents and my in-laws and almost every individual involved in this process except the bride and groom wanted to have a great Indian wedding that begins up an engagement commitment and is followed by a lavish wedding ceremony.
Here, the Perfect Indian Wedding Planning Begins!
As we know Indian weddings are all about lots and lots of functions, hippy music, lavish food, amazing décor, and the custom Indian rituals followed for the longest possible time one can remember.
There are so many things to do and so little time for that. From finding a perfect venue to getting a caterer that will prepare a meal that your guests cannot forget, it seems like Indian wedding planning can go on forever. Fortunately, I have a super supportive family to take care of all this. And, I decided to take care of the shopping only.
Shopping for a wedding dress, however, isn’t all that easy. Every wedding season introduces new trends and styles, unique colour palettes, and a different range of stunning designs to experiment with. Well, after a lot of online surfing on different sites including Amazon, Myntra, Nykaa Fashion, Flipkart, Meesho, Ajio, and offline search in V3S Mall, Pacific Mall, GIP, Chandi Chowk, Karol Bagh, Laxmi Nagar Market, (I visited almost every shopping market of Delhi), finalized dresses for different wedding functions.
After my shopping and treatment procedures, I sent a mail to HR for work from home request and packed my bags to move from Delhi to Deoghar. Wall, it was not an easy departure – leaving your comfort zone but it was exciting as well heading for a new life with your future partner and new family.
As soon as I reached Deoghar, the wedding preparation was already started. The venue was booked, decorator and photographer were finalized, responsibilities were distributed among family members – all set for the big day. Just a few days waiting for the wedding!
During all these preparations, how I can forget to take you through the moment when I met my fiancé for the first time. We both wanted to meet before marriage especially I was very concerned. We were connected for the last few months on phone used to communicate daily through audio calls and video calls but it was all virtual but how we both feel for each other when we meet physically.
Our First Meeting
Let me tell you I was very nervous, stressed, and worried. He was also going through the same feeling I guess. We decided to meet at Dominos. It was not a kind of date or couple meet; I went there with my younger brother and he came with his sister (my sister-in-law to be) and niece.
As I reached the restaurant gate, I could see him from the glass wall. He was in a simple Kurta-Pyjama in light cream and white colour respectively that was giving him a decent and simple gentleman look while I was wearing a dark blue plazzo suit by Indo Era paired up with golden chain and earrings.
But what? I was sweating in November at the restaurant gate… My legs were stuck in one place. Anyways with all my left courage, I entered the restaurant and took my seat.
After some initial Hey! Hello! And some photo clicks, we start talking. It was hardly 5 minutes, I could see myself confidently talking and how Prakash was making every possible effort to make me calm and comfortable.
If you are looking for simple wedding dresses ideas, this option is perfect for casual outings and day Pujas.
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Also, breaking all the stereotypes, (generally, in India, nand (husband’s sister) is supposed to bother her bhabhi (brother’s wife) and create problems for her) my sister-in-law (to be) was trying to comfort me with funny chit-chat and small talks.
Even the little girl, Palak (his niece and my to-be) was striving hard to help me enjoy the moment.
That time, I was thinking despite being a bold and confident city girl why I’m so nervous but meanwhile, I was very happy that I’m getting a life partner who actually cares for my comfort and new relations where my happiness matters a lot.
Okay, let’s go back to the process for the dream Indian wedding planning and Wedding Dresses Ideas.
Haldi & Mehandi Ceremony
For mehndi, I wanted to go for a comfortable yet stylish piece. While I’m completely in love with heavy sarees and lehengas, these heavy outfits are tough to carry. And, the Mehandi ceremony takes a whole day full of dancing, singing, laughing, and enjoyment.
I found this bottle green suit with heavy embroidery paired up with a matching plain Sharara and a dupatta with minimal work a perfect match. I pair it with some lovely rose and mogra jewelry – Maang tika, earrings, and a floral neckpiece.
Where: I got this green suit from Pacific Mall. It is from the Biba.
When it comes to the Haldi Ceremony dress, there are a lot of options varying from a brief saree, to a lehenga and another ethnic outfit. Here, “yellow” is defiantly the color of the Ceremony!
Among so many trendy options in yellow and especially in multi-colors, I went for a simple pink Kurti -pajama by Aurelia with a heavy golden dupatta. Instead of any artificial jewellery, I decided to go for minimal gold jewelry that includes an earring, maangtika, nath, and a chain.
Where: I bought the haldi dress in a garment shop in Delhi. It is from the popular brand Aurila.
Wedding dress Ideas: Recommended Options for Haldi & Mehandi
Wedding Dresses Ideas & Tips for Mehandi Outfit
- You may love to stay trendy and offbeat always! But when it comes to choosing your Mehendi function outfit, it’s a better idea to pick traditional Mehendi colors shades like green and yellow. Here, you can easily combine it with pops of other colors to an interesting look while maintaining a traditional Mehendi vibe.
- Since you are the bride, your Mehendi designs will be elaborate and you don’t want sleeves coming in the way. Here, I had made a mistake and selected a full sleeve suit. Always go for outfits that are either sleeveless or that have shorter sleeves to get your Mehendi application undisturbed.
- Whether you are going for a western top or kurta, for the bottom wear, go for palazzos, ghararas, shararas, skirts, etc. to keep your outfit hassle-free. Mainly when you are applying henna on your feet and legs, you need bottom wear that has a loose fit silhouette to remove the cloth instantly.
Also Read: 10 Best Indian Wedding Dresses Ideas for Women
Kasatel
This is not a popular ritual nationwide; it happens in some Brahmin weddings. So let me give you a quick brief about this ritual—
The groom and bride both visit the temple (In Deoghar, we go to the famous ‘Baba Mandir’) and their Kuldevis with their relatives and band baja to worship and request them to come to their wedding functions. It is more like a Barat!
Since this is a day-ritual, where I have to walk for a certain distance, I selected a lightweight art silk lehenga choli paired with a net dupatta in a sky-pink colour combination that gives an easy-breezy look that’s just perfect for a sunny day. The elegant stonework on the skirt, as well as the blouse, further adds glamour.
Wedding dress Ideas: Similar Lehnga Options for Kasatel (Day function)
Other Pre-wedding Rituals
Mandap: While keeping it simple, not too heavy, and yet wanting to wear a saree, I bought this maroon saree with golden work.
Jogtaphi: In this ritual, the bride wears a pagdi. This light pink Anarkali with mirror work perfectly match my requirement.
Matrika Puja: I carried this half georgette and half net saree in light orange and cream colour combination.
Wedding dress Ideas: Similar Choices for Saree & Suit
The D-day
The most memorable part of the whole Indian wedding planning is witnessing the elegance of the Bride on her special day.
My wedding lehenga is something I had been thinking about since I was a little girl. But unlike most of the brides, I did not have months to spend on selecting a bridal lehenga for my D-day.
Fortunately, in my first visit to Chandni Chowk, I found this amazing marron bridal lehenga replate with motif and embroidery work. The lehenga is broadly pleated and is covered with stonework. The choli looks gorgeous because of the exquisite thread and embroidery work all over. The net dupatta has a golden-maroon embroidered border and golden latkans as well.
I pair this stunning outfit with a golden net dupatta to accomplish a classy draping style.
After finalizing the lehenga the next important thing is the bridal jewellery and it is super important to have the right match! Instead of following the red-green and maroon-green trend, I carried Kundan jewellery with a hint of maroon!
Where: I bought this bridal lehnga from the popular market of Delhi, Chandni Chowk.
Wedding dress Ideas: Similar Options for Bridel Lehangas
Wedding Dresses Ideas & Tips for Bridel Lehenga 🙂
- Be realistic in your expectations- the Lehenga that you’ve seen wearing your favourite celebrity may not be suited to you. Keep your skin colour and body type in mind when buying your lehenga to get a perfect shade & your style.
- Do not finalise your wedding lehenga before getting your dupatta. It is your dupatta and the blouse that is mostly visible in pictures. I had bought my lehenga without checking for the second dupatta. I had to struggle a lot to get the right match. Check its colour and design. You can either choose a matching dupatta or a contrasting colour as per your choice.
- A blouse can make or break your look. Think twice about how you want the neck and back of the blouse, before giving the final instruction to the tailor. Instead of following the latest trend blindly, ensure your blouse fits you well and has a comfortable length.
- When it comes to wedding dresses ideas, climatic condition plays a major role. If you are getting married during summer, opt for light-weight fabrics like chiffon, georgette with lesser embellishments and prints. On the other hand, if you are going to get married during winters, go for heavy fabric, heavy embellishments, and a full-sleeved option.
Gugat + Vidai
Banarasi sarees have been used for decades in Indian weddings. (For gugat, the bridal saree comes from the groom’s side and the same saree bride has to wear on the vidai).
I got this cool-toned purple and gold Banarasi brocade saree! Such a saree was looking really elegant on that night. I paired it with a matching color blouse and heavy gold jewelry. She went for the natural makeup look and adorned my hair in a golden clip.
Wedding dress Ideas: Recommended Options in Barasi Saree
Reception
The reception day is as important as the wedding day! I sported a peach lehenga paired up with some minimal gold jewelry for the evening of the reception focused on a simple, elegant, and contemporary look.
The lehenga has minute details in silver-colored thread. In addition, the bling of the stones blends perfectly with the white shimmer every here and there in the lehenga.
Wedding dress Ideas: Similar Lehenga Options
Wedding & post-wedding events were a full one-month affair starting off with some Poojas and Lagan (Kulproith put some tilak on bride and grom’s forehead) then moving on to Sangeeth + Mehendi Ceremony, Kasatel, Mandap & Matrika Puja in India. This was followed by Marriage Oath Ceremony and then a Reception in Deoghar. Then, post-wedding parties with both families. It felt like an adventure!
Make-Up Artist: Nikita Makeovers (Insta id- nikita_raj_mua!). Nikita was simply amazing – like a work of art in just 1 hour did she turn me from a girl-next-door to a gorgeous bridal diva full of elegance! She really knows how to dress up different brides from different cultures & change their make-up and looks according to the occasion!
Facial & Massage: Pooja Parlour, Deoghar. Can’t say, I’m fully satisfied with her service, but it was fine. What I like about her service is that she does facials, massages, and all other skincare services at the comfort of your home/ venue!
Have you checked the 20 Gorgeous Hairstyles For Indian Wedding Function?
Indian Wedding Planning Checklist
Do Your Research: Before your begin, your Indian wedding planning, do proper research to know what you really need (or want) and what you don’t in your wedding shopping list.
Set a Budget: Trust me, an Indian wedding planning cost can go unlimited. Here, it is best to set your budget and ensure that all your expenses come under it. It will help you from getting disappointed and stressed on your big day!
Organized Your Stuff: Organization is vital, sort out and neatly pack all your outfits, innerwear, jewellery, footwear and keep them occasion-by-occasion. you might be already nervous and stressed and the last thing you want to be searching for is the missing pin to drape your dupatta!
Avoid Experimenting: You can be someone who loves to try to make up launches and new cuisines. But it comes to your wedding, whether it is an Indian wedding planning or planning wedding in the US, avoid trying out anything new (unless you have had trials) close to your big day – be it food, makeup, or even clothes!. It might turn out something completely different from what you had expected!
Stay Calm: No matter how careful you are, something goes wrong somewhere at the last minute. As they say, things get wrong when you least expect it. Instead of brooding over it, stay calm! You don’t need to be panic and let little things ruin your BIG MOMENTS in life! No issue if the make-up is too heavy; or the dupatta is not draped properly… everyone is going to notice – and just you…as you are the QUEEN of the day! Sit back… take a chill pill… and most importantly ENJOY the little things that make your day.
SMILE – even if you are happy/ sad/ nervous… it is the best accessory you can wear! Nothing beats that 😀
(In most of my wedding functions, I was very nervous and forgot my smile somewhere; almost every close person was telling me “please smile”; even the photographer was tired of reminding me to smile. This is the most important advice I can give you from my personal experience.)
“Let’s just remember…Life’s such a beautiful mistake”! Thank you for taking the time to go through my whole journey… it has been happening indeed! After the entire wedding hullabaloo…. Prakash has been called to work from the office so he went back to Hyderabad– I just moved to my in-law’s house to settle and build new bonds. This new life begins in a completely new atmosphere with new people.
Now looking ahead to marriage more beautiful than our wedding! Life seems to have other beautiful plans for us…(that, I’ll shared soon:)
Thank you so much to all my whole family (including my father, month, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother, sister-in-law, cousins, uncle, aunt, who made this day possible for me. Special thanks to those who were actively involved in preparing for this dream Indian wedding planning.
Thank you for reading this blog so far; I hope you enjoy the read!
It’s either you are already married, or about to experience this moment in the future. What are your questions from your future partner and from this new beginning? What do you want to celebrate your D-day? And at last, what are your thoughts about these wedding dresses ideas and my journey?
I’m eagerly waiting for your answer guys, comment below and let me know your thoughts, please.