How To Select The Best Outfits for Indian Wedding Rituals

The Wedding day is probably one of the most important days in one's life. For life will never be the same again, and by the end of the D-day, you will have a spouse. As scary or exciting as that may sound, the idea of shopping outfits for the various Indian wedding rituals sounds even better. Yes, Indian weddings have a bucket-load of rituals and traditions that enhance the experience of getting married, for you are in the center of everyone's attention. However, the best way to truly enjoy all the attention and the wonderful rituals are by wearing all the best clothes and looking drop-dead gorgeous.

Choosing The Best Outfits For Indian Wedding Rituals

It is normal to want to look the best during various wedding rituals. Choosing the right outfit for your special occasion is the only way to go. As such, Indian brides and their friends and family start their wedding essentials shopping months before the D-day. When hunting for the perfect outfit, be on a lookout for the latest trends that gel with your unique sense of style. Do refer to magazines and follow fashionista tips to make the right choice, for the right color and cut can make all the difference. However, if you are in doubt about your choice, here are some tips for wedding outfits.

1. Keep It Simple For Roka

Roka is a very private affair, where your wedding is officially fixed with your groom to be. Only close family and friends attend the Roka ceremony rituals ceremony. Therefore, you can keep it simple for your Roka. Go for light pastel shades and simplistic designs for your dress. An ideal outfit for the ceremony would be churidar and Kurti. Alternatively, you can wear a saree that is not too loud or flashy. Add a pop of color with a contrasting, bright dupatta (in case of a Kurti). You can choose to be a little 'Hatke' by replacing traditional churidar with skirts, palazzo, or sharara pants.

2. Rocking the Engagement

The day has come to make your alliance official in front of your extended family, friends, and neighbors with your engagement ceremony. With a lot of guests attending this function, it is time to step up your fashion game and go glam. You have several choices when it comes to engagement outfits. Bedazzle the crowd with heavy-embroidery lehenga and simple accessories. You can wear jacket-style variation with a heavily embroidered jacket and simple skirts. Alternatively, you can opt for a long Kurti over your lehenga skirt. However, if you wish to venture outside lehenga, go for sarees or floor-length party gowns.

3. Casual Dress-Up for Mehendi

Mehendi is one of the lively wedding rituals in India, where the henna tattoo is applied to the bride's (sometimes even groom's) hands and feet. Most brides go for Mehendi designs that go up to their biceps on their hands and until shins on the legs. As such, your Mehandi outfit should be practical and yet dressy. The most practical outfit for this function is to wear something sleeveless to ensure there is no smudging and a skirt on the bottom. You can choose between a sleeveless Kurti and a top and wear an elegant skirt that does not stick too much to your feet.

4. Be In The Spotlight For Sangeet

The sangeet ceremony is the time to dance and enjoy yourself with your family and friends. However, it is also the time you will be in the spotlight along with your fiance during the couple dance. If your Sangeet is on the same day as you Mehendi, then choose womens clothing that is both practical and fancy like a lehenga with sleeveless blouse. However, if your sangeet ceremony is on a different day, be ready to put your best foot forward. You can choose from a royal lehenga, party-sarees, and fancy Kurti and sharara pants.

5. Go Mellow for Haldi

It is the morning of your wedding day and time for your Haldi, where your family members will apply turmeric paste on your face, arms, and feet. Just like your Mehendi outfit, your dress for Haldi should be practical. Since this is a semi-private ceremony, you can go casual, as well. Make sure your Haldi ceremony outfit has a sleeveless top and something you can lift easily on the bottom. Moreover, make sure it is not white, pink, off-cream, or any of the lighter colors. How about sticking with the theme and going for a mellow yellow?

6. Time To Go Traditional for Wedding

The D-day is here, and it is time to wear your priced wedding outfit. Most Indian brides go for lehengas with red and gold embroidery. However, you can also go outside the box by wearing outfits of other shades like yellow, pink, green, blue, even black, or a combination of them all. You can also step out of the traditional wedding outfit formula of red and gold or combination of colors and opt for a lehenga suit of the same color. Moreover, you can let go of the lehenga trope and opt for wedding sarees in red or virtually any color under the sky, except white, of course.

7. Lighten the Load During Vidai

Indian weddings are incomplete without the post-wedding ceremony rituals. Vidai is a bittersweet moment for everyone. It is when the bride bids farewell to her maternal family through rituals like throwing rice overhead while setting out to her new home. Many brides find it hard to wear their wedding outfit for this ceremony because of the weight. Therefore, for your vidai lighten the load by changing into a lighter outfit like a floor-length gown or a relatively simple lehenga. You can choose this outfit to match your main one. Alternatively, you can always wear your wedding dress for this.

8. Dress To Bless For The Blessing Ceremony

Blessing ceremony is one of the Indian wedding traditions where the bride's close family and friends visit the groom's house to meet the newlyweds and bless them with gifts. Since it is one of the first few days in your sasural and a formal function, go for a traditional look like wearing a saree with light embroidery or gold thread work. For this day, you can go for brighter colors like yellow and orange or go for Indian wedding outfit colors like red or green.

9. Make An Impression During Reception

If your Reception is soon after your vidai and grihapravesh and you are still in your traditional Indian wedding dress, you definitely need an outfit change. Even if the ceremony is several days after your wedding, you need to dress to impress. For the Reception is when you will meet your husband's extended family and friends, making this your introduction. Make your first impression the best by wearing something stylish and unique. You can go traditional and usual with a lehenga or go regal with a Banarasi (or even Muga) silk saree with a Kundan set. You can always go lively and peppy with embroidered Kurti paired with either a flowy lehenga skirt, palazzo, or sharara.

10. Reveal Your Style During Mooh Dikhai

Mooh Dikhai is yet another one of introductory Indian wedding rituals, where female (sometimes male) family members and guests unveil the new bride's face and welcome her to the family or society. Once again, it is important to make a great impression while revealing your sense of style. Make sure to choose an outfit that is both comfortable and traditional but also stylish. Wearing a saree never fails, especially if the pallu looks rather fetching. Alternatively, you can always go for a lehenga with a sheer or net dupatta.

11. Evolve Your Style For Pag Phera

Pag Phera is one of the great wedding rituals for brides when she meets her parents after her vidai. Since this happens in less than a few days after the wedding, it marks as one of your first few days as a married woman. Step into this new life with the evolution of your style quotient and fashion sense. For this ritual, choose womens clothing that is simple in design, but still has fancy work on it to make heads turn. You can either wear a thread work saree or a Kurti that is best for special occasions. Indian weddings are one of a kind with so many rituals and traditions. Choosing the right outfit can make you feel like a princess and on top of the world if you weren't already. It is important to choose a dress that is appropriate for the function, the crowd, and rituals, while also remaining true to your sense of style. When you are choosing your outfit for Indian wedding rituals, it is essential to incorporate the tips you receive from others and your creativity. Above all, make sure you are comfortable in what you wear, for you will be on your foot a lot during these functions.