NRI PULSE 13July 2010 ..... InVogue .....

The DreamIndianWedding

BY RANI SHARMAMost girls dream about their wedding day

since childhood- the riot of colors, the rituals, thefabulous clothes, the dazzling jewelry… It is alsoan important event for the entire family. A big fatIndian wedding today takes a lot of work. Thereare themes to think of; clothes, jewelry and acces-sories to match; venues to be decided; decoratorsand photographers to be hired, guests to beinvited…the list goes on. With some planning andcoordination ahead of time, every wedding can bea dream affair.

With endless ensemble choices in the market,how do you decide what to wear at each weddingevent? Find out what to wear and how to match andaccessorize for the mehndi ceremony, the sangeetparty, the wedding and the cocktail/reception.

Mehndi & Sangeet: Traditional is the way to go.A great dress idea for the bride is crushed silk bandhnilehnga with gota patti work, brocade piping, a katansilk blouse and net dupatta. The groom wears adhoti kurta or churidar kurta in a similar color, but oflighter shade. The mother and mother-in-law canwear bandhni saris a couple of shades lighter thanthe bride. The sisters and other young girls in thefamily can wear lehngas in lighter shades as well.

Wear traditional jewelry with meenakari work.The model here is wearing meenakari set in pea-cock design.

Haldi: The ceremony calls for a traditional sariwith light work and light antique jewelry. The groom

can wear comfortable lucknowi kurta pajama.Wedding: This season, the bride wears a traditional lehngaor sari with plenty of gold work. Cream, red, maroonand burgundy are the in colors this season. The groomcan match his bride in a long sherwani with a scarf andturban with a kalgi fixed in the front. He pairs the en-semble with embroidered jhootis. The rest of the familywears outfits of the same color, but of a different shade.For instance, if the bride is in a red lehnga, the rest of thewomen wear maroon or burgundy. This match-in-con-trast makes for great photos.Wear heavy kundan jewelry with open polki.

Cocktail/Reception: It is finally time to go modern.For the cocktail party, the bride can wear a chic black orblue net sari with a halter neck or spaghetti blouse or

opt for a net lehnga with shimmer petti-coat in mermaid cut that accentuates herfigure. The groom wears a black suit and achic tie that coordinates with his bride’soutfit. The family also sticks to blacks,grays and blues for a great coordinated look.

For the reception, the bridal party canchoose from pastels and light shades ofpurple, ferozi or cream. The groom can optfor the Indo-western look with a short In-dian jacket.

Both occasions call for diamond/crys-

tal jewelry set in elegant, modern style. The bridecan finally carry a swarowski crystal encrustedclutch.

Make-up and hair: All wedding events call forbright make-up and comfortable platform heels.The bride wears her hair in an updo that is bright-ened with fresh flowers. The only occasion sheleaves her hair open is the mehndi ceremony.

Find out what to wear and how tomatch and accessorize for themehndi ceremony, the sangeet party,the wedding and the cocktail/recep-tion. For more infomation, call RaniSharma at 404-633-4966 or visitwww.raneez.com.All photos by Passion Photo & Video