September 2019 - GetEthnic

South Indian Wedding – Culture & Traditions – A complete Guide

South Indian Wedding reflects the true culture and traditions of India. It’s full of life, fun, colors, food, music and love.

India is full of different cultures, a mixture of different languages, the cultures which follow different traditions and what not. It is like you coming to a country where people of different races, castes, religions and languages living in harmony and peace. But here we are not going to discuss how really Incredible India is!

North Indian and South Indian weddings are not only culturally different, instead different in all aspects. Whether it be about rituals, traditions, wedding attire and most importantly, food!!!

Credits: weddingz.in | Indian Wedding Dresses

So without further blabbering, let’s just head straight to various outfit ideas for a South Indian bride on her wedding day, making you go through the rituals and ceremonies that happen on the same day and how you can dress up for that, being a bride or guest attending South Indian Wedding.

1. Mangala Snanam

Credits: weddingz.in | Get Custom Made Ethnic Wear

Now as the name might sound to many, it can be simplified to mangal snan, that is, purifying bath.

It happens to be the first ritual performed on the day of wedding wherein a paste of turmeric, sandalwood and kumkum is prepared by Sumangalis or married women.

Then some oil is applied on her hair with the paste later being applied on her face, feet and hands. After this ritual, the bride takes bath in holy water to purify her body and soul for the wedding cermeony to be performed later.

This can be seen as a South Indian version of North indian haldi ceremony except the fact that it is performed at crack of dawn and there’s oil all over the bride’s head and not just haldipaste.

Now being a bride as you’ll be smeared in oil and turmeric and kumkum and then water also, there’s no point of wearing a heavy duty kanjeevaram saree for this event.

You can go for anything you wish to which wouldn’t cause disocmfort as you’ll be sitting for quite some time and will be drenched in water.

As this isn’t that ritual wherein you actually need to be particular about what you are wearing, you can go for lehenga, simple and sober saree or even like a bit embroidered crop top with a skirt.

Even a suit would work. As for the colors, choose light color as too bright of it in the morning might not be a good idea.

Credits: wedmegood.com | Get Bridal Your Bridal

As for the accessories, floral jewelry is the best as it will look good with your outfit for this particular ceremony and you also won’t fear ruining any of your other jewelry with turmeric marks.

Credits: picbat.com | Indian Bridal Sarees

2. Gauri Puja

Now this tradition is only performed at the bride’s end wherein after getting ready, she performs a small puja and offers prayers to Goddess Gauri who represents purity, austerity and virtue.

This is considered to be one amongst the most religious and prosperous rituals to seek blessings and divinity from the Goddess for a prosperous marriage life ahead.

Credits: focustudios.com | Indian Wedding Dresses

As for this event you’ll be completely ready, the outfit will of course comprise of Kanjeevaram saree with lot of jewelry like kamarbandh, necklace, earrings, lot on hair and wrist, even arms with heavy makeup.

But why opt for tradiitonal as always? There are a lot of ways by which you can step out of your comfort zone and be a badass bride while still staying rooted to the traditions.

You might be a traditional bride with traditional colors and hairstyle or a modern era bride who opts for a totally off beat color with varied hairstyle and vivid makeup choice.

Note: Though one can choose to wear a simpler saree for the puja and then change into a heavy, embroidered and lavish Kanjeevaram aka Pattu saree because more the options, better it is 😉

Credits: dreamingloud.com | Wedding wear Custom Made

So let’s see what all options you can have to choose from as per your type and style in a South Indian Wedding:

Minimalism is the key

Indian Wedding Dresses

If being OTT is not your style, then having a minimalistic look is also somehting which will make you feel equally decked up and beautiful on your wedding day.

This beautiful and chirpy bride chose to wear a peach colored saree with red border and minimal jewelry and a simple gajraon her hair as hair accessory for the main function.

Try a non-traditional color for an added oomph

Credits: weddingz.in | Indian Wedding Dresses for Brides

Credits: weddingz.in | Wedding Sarees

Why opt for traditional red only? Orange and green are the new reds in town. Many South indian brides haave opted to not go for red for the main ceremony. Instead opt for some other color like gree, orange, pink or even purple for the quintessential look in a South Indian Wedding.

Tip: Go for bold lips and heavy eyes with a color different than red because it will pop your face more.

As for the accessories, though more is less for South Indian brides but if you don’t wish to go for heavy jewelry for your hair, floral hair styles would work best. It would also make you feel fresh more.

Traditional and heavy embellished sleeves rock the wedding

Now as the South Indian weddings are all about Kanjeevaram sarees, a major part of a saree accounts the blouse. Nowadays, brides are going for contrast colored blouses, heavily embellished blouses and even quarter sleeved blouses to reflect the true traditional side of theirs.

Credits: pinterest.com | Indian Wedding Dresses For Brides

Cap sleeves, mesh sleeves and what not is not in trend for a bit of modern touch to the otherwise head-to-toe traditionalism.

Credits: weddingwire.in | Indian Wedding Wear

This all-gold decked up bride in quarter sleeves is nonetheless than a dream of any South Indian bride.

Credits: insta.orenya.com | Indian Wedding Dresses For Brides

This bride in contrast colored blouse looks ravishing.

Diamond takes your heart away if not gold😉

Yes, though traditionally brides prefer to go with gold but if you aren’t someone who loves gold that much, then diamond is ot your rescue.

Credits: wedwise.co.in | Wedding Dresses

Tip: If you’re wearing a little simpler saree, then go all crazy with the blouse designs.

But if there’s a lot of embroidery, motifs and prints going on your saree, then a simpler blouse will extract the best out of you else it would feel as if you wore everything that you got your hands on!

Oddly long hair for a leaner look

With the hairstyle you can do a lot. Either go for braids with flowers in between or a long braid with a full blown South Indian bun and the braid having gajras and naga jadaiboth.

Credits: weddingz.in | Indian Ethnic Bridal Wear

Flower is all that matters

Indian Ethnic Wedding Dresses

This bride’s hair totally covered with mograsis seemingly uncanny and fascinating in itself to watch.

And because so much of flowers without any jewelry isn’t something which is normally seen, so it’s for sure not mainstream.

Highly modern and some carefree feel too

Now if you aren’t a completely tradition driven person then not only just the color of your saree but also the jewelry and the way you drape your saree can be a talking point as why not! Wanna have some sneek peak? See below!

Credits: pinterest.com | Indian Wedding Dress

This South Indian bride in a light pink saree draped in a subtle way with emerald jewelry, lesser bangles and simple matha pattiseems so ravishing.

Mesh sleeves with floral embroidery make it feel nothing less than a sober and soothing breath amidst the usual bright and loud colors of any usual South Indian wedding. So this for sure is uncommon. Truly modern in its purest possible form.

Are you a true rebellion but in a posiitve and healthy way? Then the below bride will surely seem stupendous to you and hence more relatable maybe.

Credits: wedmegood.com | Wedding Wear Brides & Groom

This dull golden and maroon border saree with small floral prints and a big prominent nose ring is what you need to set yourself apart from the crowd. Hair tied a bit loose into a bun is totally totally making this look IN.

Carry a dupatta for an edgier look

Now why is it edgy? Because it’s not usual and not seen commonly in a South Indian Wedding.

Credits: pinterest.com | Indian Wedding Dresses For Brides

Why only North Indian brides have a dupatta on their head? Even South Indian brides can do the same.

What makes it pretty and outstanding is the contrasting color because you might not get a dupatta matching totally with your saree.

So a different color to the saree is soemthing which brings the shine in the outfit.

3. Kashi Yatra – Last Chance of Bachelorhood

Imagine Groom’s getting a last chance to escape the wedding ceremony! This idea is too cool to be true but it is 😉

In South Indian Wedding Kashi Yatra, plays an important role from groom’s end but what is this “Kashi Yatra”?

It is a trip to your Guru’s (teacher) adobe. Kashi Yatra is done by the groom to seek blessings, wisdom and power of the universe as he is stepping into this new life where he will be responsible for a new person and starting a family. In order to continue the traditions of his family.

Though this ceremony has been turned into a more of a pre wedding jitters 🙂 where groom thinks about his higher purpose in life by learning about Bhramacharya but Bride’s father and uncles convinces the groom to get married for their daughter.

Credit: pradakshinaa

Groom needs to pack for this Yatra and which an umbrella, snacks for the way (usually coconuts and some rice), a walking stick and a spare Dhoti.

This is an amazing ritual in South Indian Wedding where both the families have a lot of fun and laughter. Be it a Kannada wedding, or a Tamilian wedding or Andhra Reddy Wedding ceremony ceremony, “Kashi Yatra” is a fun ritual that everyone enjoys.

4. Pada Puja

In South Indian wedding this ceremony is being performed from the bride’s family once the grrom reaches the wedding venue (or mandate in some cases). Brides family washes grooms feet with rose water, holy water, milk, sandalwood and kumkum. After washing the feet are washed, it’s being wiped with flower petals to let dry. It is a respect that bride’s family offer to the groom.

4. Malai Maatral

This is the fifth function infact after Kashi Yatra and Pada Puja wherein the bride and the groom exchange flower garlands and the ritual is repeated thrice with some playfulness in between eith both trying to evade from being the garland put around their necks. South Indian version of North India’s varmala.

Credits: lovevivah.com | Indian Wedding Dresses

Indian Wedding Dresses For Brides

5. Kanyadanam

Kanya means girl and Danam means dakshina or a gift.

In this South Indian wedding ceremony, groom is viewed as a representative of lord vishnu. In order to tie the bride and groom in a life lasted bond, end of the bride’s saree is tied to the end of groom’s angavastram.

Mother of the bride washed groom’s feet and applies kajal (kohl) to grooms eyes. Then Bride’s father gives the hand or his daughter and hands them a coconut on which bride’s mother pour holy water.

6. Saptapadi

In this South Indian wedding ceremony, Bride-Groom hold hands and circle aground the sacred fire seven times. Vedic mantra are chanted and vows are exchanged.

Depending on the varies cultures, this pooja can last unto 1 hour to 5 hours.

7. South Indian Wedding Reception

Once all the ceremonies and rituals are finished, a grand reception is thrown usually from the bride’s side (but Indian livings these days in US and Canada, they share the expenses of reception).

Here amazing South Indian food is served which is usually vegetarian and to tell you the truth if you every attend a South Indian Wedding then the food there is out of the world.

Food along with some traditional music total encapsulates the whole environment. Usually no alcohol is served in the wedding unlike Punjabi Wedding.

Watch one such beautiful South Indian Wedding Ceremony:

South Indian Wedding – Bridal Wear Tips

But whatever might be the rituals, whatever might be the functions and howsoever you might follow all, what matters the most is that every bride has the right to look, feel and believe in their beauty on the most important day of their lives.

So in order to not feel anxious and be happy, follow some of the major tips below. Though these are the general ones but still must be kept in mind:

Being a South Indian bride with only the Kanjeevaram saree being the main attire, plan it way beforehand. Choose one which will reflect your style and get blouse stitched as per the design and color of your saree. Ensure that it fits you well.
As jewelry and other accessories form major part of the overall look of a South Indian bride, ensure that you have everything in place. Try not to go too overboard with the accessories as remember, the event will be day long and you might not be able to carry a lot the entire day.
Plan your makeup way ahead and your hairstyle too to be in complete sync with your overall outfit as ntohing should look too much.

If you are one such bride or know one, then you must be knowing that how hard hitting it can be have the best outfit at your best day being tailor made and customised as per your needs, wants and desires.

But if you plan to go with one instead of buying it directly, then the team of stupendous designers and craftsmen at GetEthnic are someone whom you can trust to give the best to you.

A free sample file will be sent at your doorstep containing anything and everything about your outfit because at GetEthnic, the team believes in first sketching your outfit and then delivering it to you so that you know all tits and bits about what your outfit would look like as an end product.

Final Word – South Indian Wedding

A South Indian wedding is a lot traditional in all its aspects and yes, South India doesn’t just comprise of Kerala or Tamil Nadu. It is also about Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and the weddings of all these 4 states are actaully different from each other. These aren’t same which many might assume to be.

If you every get an opportunity to attend a South Indian Wedding, never, I repeat never, miss it as it’s so much fun with amazing food!

Hope you like this article and do let us know more about your South Indian Wedding experiences.

38 Punjabi Wedding Dresses for all Traditions

When you think about stunning and gorgeous Punjabi Wedding dresses, then you know that how large hearted Punjabis are! The Punjabi bride wearing a heavily embroidered Punjabi Lehenga would perfectly compliment a well made groom Sherwani. What a sight it is! We bring you Punjabi Wedding Dresses for Bride and Groom which goes perfectly with grandeur Punjabi culture.

Punjabi weddings, it’s rituals and its extravagant dressing standards have inspired other Indian communities to give that ‘larger than life’ touch to their weddings. That’s why today, we have Bengalis celebrating Mehndi, Tamils arranging a Sangeet or Maharashtrians wearing the Chura.

Punjabis, their culture, their traditions, their liveliness is seriously contagious. 🙂

Get Bride & Groom Wedding Dresses

Punjabi Wedding Dresses for both Bride & Groom which is custom Made as per your size, requirements and body type. Checkout one of our bride talking about her experience and the whole process that we follow in order to give you a perfect wedding outfit, sitting at home!

Get Started with Your Wedding Wear

Punjabi Wedding Dress for Bride

The Punjabi bride is an epitome of beauty, elegance and glamour. The Punjabi wedding dress for bride is characterized by vibrant colors, impressionable accessories, well-defined make-up and elaborate hairdo that tell a story of beauty. Glamour is personified as the bride enters the wedding venue and no matter how pretty the bridesmaids are, the Punjabi bride never fails to steal the show and keep heads turning. Want inspiration? These 10 Punjabi brides will give you just that!

1. Warm Red Lehenga with Gold Embellished Flared Skirt

Get Custom Made Bridal Lehenga

This exotic cranberry colored lehenga is a perfect Punjabi wedding dress for bride. The dense rose gold embroidery, the light peach net dupatta and the simple gold bootis on the choli are perfect with heavy gold jewellery. The bride looks like a dream!

2. Royal Ivory Punjabi Bridal Lehenga

This ivory lehenga personifies panache! The light color and rich texture is perfect for the heavy and dense sequin and stone embroidery. The floral hairdo of the bride is unique for a Punjabi wedding but this exotic lehenga makes it look glamorous and aesthetic.

3. Pastel Peach Lehenga

Get Custom Made Bridal Lehenga

Most Sikh weddings happen in the morning! A bride in a Punjabi wedding dress in a light, pastel hue looks like she has literally walked out of a fairy tale. The bride wears a light beige lehenga with sequin work in contrasting but understated colors. She looks as serene as a dream. The net dupatta with bootis, the simple choli, minimalistic yet elegant jewellery and white floral hairdo make her look celestially beautiful!

4. The Dreamy Red Lehenga

How can we skip a gorgeous red wedding lehenga when we are talking about Punjabi wedding dress for bride? This bride looks beautiful, fresh and happy in this elegant warm red lehenga with floral zardozi work on the bust and vertical embroidered patterns below. The net dupatta has tiny stone bootis all over and a thick stone-work border.

5. Pure Pastels for Morning Punjabi Weddings

Get Custom Made Bridal Lehenga

Pastel shades like lilac look wonderful in morning weddings. This bride’s lehenga skirt resembles the fall of a flared western-style gown and the embellishments are mild and floral. Her net dupatta has an elaborate border with a dash of colors.

6. Embellishments Speak in Punjabi Wedding Dress

maharaniweddings | Get BridesMaid Dresses

If red lehengas bore you but you have to wear one for the sake of tradition, go for something like this. This heavily embellished lehenga uses unique and contrasting color combinations. Detailed silver zari work is paired with thread work in orange and pastel blue. The net dupatta too has a floral border and latkan details.

7. Multi-colored Embellished Punjabi Bridal Lehenga

Get Custom Made Bridal Lehenga

Who said light colors won’t work on Punjabi wedding dress for bride? This cream color lehenga has huge multi-color motifs on the skirt. Peacock and floral patterns make it extremely unique and the sequin and Swarovski crystal work enhances the glamour factor. The outfit also sports the double dupatta style. One dupatta is in the same color as the lehenga and the other one, around the head of the bride, is in net orange net fabric with a navy blue border.

8. Princess in Pretty Pink Lehenga Dress

Both the cut and the color of this wedding outfit is completely out-of-the-box! ThePunjabi wedding dress is not a lehenga-choli but a long and flared anarkali dress. The flare is wide enough like that of a lehenga skirt and the design pattern on the bodice is different from that on the skirt. Elaborate floral embroidery in zardozi beads, sequin and stones have been used on rich dark pink raw silk. The dress is paired with a net dupatta in light pink with a thick embellished border. Such a Punjabi wedding dress is great for plus size brides.

9. Red Lehenga for the Petite Punjabi Bride

Another beautiful red wedding dress with an A-line lehenga skirt and gold embellishments that form a layered pattern. The embellishments on the blouse and dupatta are kept minimalistic to enhance the beauty of the lehengaskirt.

10. Red-Orange Sequin Embellished Lehenga

Get Custom Made Bridal Lehenga

This red lehenga is unique! The lehenga skirt is flared. A wide sequin and stone embellished border at the bottom hem of the skirt brings up the glamour scale. The rest of the skirt is also heavily embellished in waves and floral patterns. The choli flaunts gold bootis. The uniqueness of the outfit lies in the contrasting pink net dupatta draped in front. The second dupatta is draped behind.

Punjabi Wedding Dress for Groom

Punjabi and Sikh grooms represent the royal culture of Punjab. Their wedding outfits should also reflect the same. Punjabi wedding dress for groom should be majestic, glamorous, distinctly masculine and full of royal fervour that showcases class and a warrior spirit at the same time. Sikh grooms usually have to carry mandatory accessories like bejewelled turbans, the powerful kalgi, kirpan etc. So the Punjabi wedding dress for the Sikh groom should blend in with the flavour of strength and masculinity. Let us look at 10 Punjabi grooms who have nailed it.

11. Blue and Cream Anarkali Style Jacket Sherwani

Get Custom Made Sherwani

Beat the wedding blues with an anarkali-style jacket sherwani, like this groom! He is looking extremely smart and handsome in this royal blue jacket sherwani that boasts gold and orange embellishments and cuts that are reminiscent of the Mughal dress code. The red pagdi adds a vibrant contrast that enhances the attractiveness of the look.

12. Red Turban with Cream Sherwani

Usually Sikh weddings take place in the morning and light pastel shades are extremely soothing to the eye. This groom wears a peach sherwani with intricate silver floral embroidery. To add vibrancy, he accessorizes with a bright warm red turban, which probably complements the outfit of the bride. The border on this peach stole is also in the same red hue with embroidered embellishments in silver zari.

13. Short Ivory Sherwani with Peach Turban

Get Custom Made Sherwani

Ivory, as a color, is always a mark of masculinity. The sherwani has light brocade work in gold and minimal accessories make the elegance of the outfit stand out. The light peach turban, the moti mala and the rose gold embellished border on the sherwani stole, together steal the show!

14. Bright Blue Velvet Sherwani

If you love bright, vibrant colors, don’t shy away! This groom sports a gorgeous royal blue velvet sherwani with raw silk churidar bottoms in a nude color. The sherwani flaunts gold sequin and zari work. The outfit color is contrasted with a bright pink embellished turban that matches the wedding outfit of his bride. This makes a bright and attractive combination.

15. Floral Sherwani with Red Stole

This Punjabi groom has gone for an aesthetic yet challenging combination for his wedding outfit. His cream color sherwani jacket has thick floral vines embroidered on it in matte gold threads. The collar, cuffs and buttons too are embellished in matte gold, making the outfit extremely elegant to look at. He has used a red stole and headgear with big and small polki motifs in gold print. His only accessories are a two-string moti mala and a royal brooch on his pagdi. Now beat that!

16. Maroon and Cream Sherwani

Want to keep it simple? Trust in the power of off-white and maroon! This Punjabi groom is looking elegant in a simple yet glamorous straight sherwani in off-white and gold which he has paired with a gorgeous deep maroon turban and churidar bottoms. The dark maroon pocket square, embellished cuffs, collar and buttons are accessories bold enough to preserve the masculinity in the look.

17. Maroon and Gold Sherwani

Get Custom Made Sherwani

This Punjabi wedding dress for groom would suit all! The classic combination of gold, dark red and white looks brilliant on this smiling groom. The jacquard embellishment pattern in gold on the white sherwani is perfect for the big fat Punjabi wedding and the zari embroidered stole and unique headgear complete the look.

18. Layered Cream Color Sherwani with Bandhani Turban

This Punjabi wedding outfit for groom proves that pink can also be a masculine color. The ivory jacket-style sherwani has been embroidered with rich gold zari at the collar and down the middle. This has been paired with a bright pink stole and pink bandhani turban. The stole has a thick gold border.

19. Ivory Layered Anarkali Sherwani with Dark Wine Color Stole

Sometimes, ‘simple’ translates to ‘elegant’ and ‘powerful’! Against the neutral décor of the wedding venue, the dark marsala color of the turban and velvet stole sported by this groom with his ivory sherwani, creates a sharp contrast. The stole boasts elaborate gold embroidery whereas the sherwani kurta flaunts delicate embroidery in light hues on the collar, sleeves and belt area.

20. Ivory and Light Peach Sherwani

Get Custom Made Sherwani

This Punjabi groom wears a combination of off-white and peach. His sherwani jacket is embellished in self color, all over – giving the whole look a dash of masculinity and elegance. The simple peach pagdi and the peach stole embellished all over in an understated shade of gold, does wonders to enhance the appeal of this Punjabi wedding dress for groom.

Punjabi Wedding Wear for Other wedding Occasions

After a wedding is fixed, the first ritual involves the bride’s family to visit the groom carrying gifts for him. These gifts usually consist of money, clothes, sweets etc and are called “shagun”. The gesture is reciprocated by the groom’s family.

Punjabi weddings combine a host of pre and post-wedding rituals. Let us find out what these are:

21. Roka and Thaka Outfit for – Bride to be

A gorgeous lacha goes perfectly with the function as well as Punjabi culture. The former occasion is called ‘roka’ and the latter ‘thaka’. Read Roka Ceremony to know know about this beautiful tradition.

What to wear?
Only close members will be present during your thaka. It is thus best not to go overboard. Keep it simple with a salwar kameez in a bright pastel shade like light green or cream yellow. Keep the makeup and jewellery minimal.

22. Roka and Thaka Outfit – for Groom to be

For boys, wear something which is traditional like a bright kurta.

23. Chunni Chadai – Punjabi Wedding Wear

Bridal Wear Made as per your requirements

This ceremony takes place on the day before or on the morning of the Sagai, where women from the groom’s family come to the house of the bride with gifts, jewellery and clothes. This occasion marks the entry of the bride into the family of the groom.

The special part of the ceremony is when the bride’s head is covered with a special dupatta or chunni that the groom’s family brings for the bride.

This dupatta is auspicious and sacred. She also wears jewellery that comes from the groom’s house.

What to wear?

Again, this occasion takes place at home with very few close family members. Thus it is best not to go overboard with clothes and accessories. It is best to stick to an elegant salwar suit.

24. Chunni Chadai – Punjabi Bridal Lehenga

alikphotography.ca | Get Started with your Lehenga

25. Mangni or Sagai Outfits

This ritual takes place usually a few months before the wedding and marks the official engagement of the couple.

This is also the first occasion when the couple makes a public appearance.

It is the grandest ceremony before the wedding day. The rituals include the bride being offered boiled rice and milk by the groom’s family. The ring exchange ceremony follows.

What to wear?

As it is a grand ceremony you can’t dress up plain. Choose a non-wedding lehenga – something that has lighter work and is in a non-bridal colour. The closest you can come is pink or peach. Go for traditional Indian Ethnic Wear. Go for Matching Bridal and Groom Outfits.

26. Sangeet outfit for boys

Traditionally the sangeet is a function that involves the bride and the women of her family sitting down together to some folk music and merriment. These days, it has turned into a gala event with guests being invited.

Some members of the groom’s family also visit the bride’s house for the sangeet, along with the groom.

Song, dance, fun – a sangeet is all about these things. Nowadays, people also engage professional choreographers who train members of the bride’s and the groom’s family for special dance performances on the night of the sangeet.

The bride and the groom are also not spared from giving a performance.

27. Sangeet outfit for girls

alikphotography.ca

What to wear?

You should pot for a grand ethnic party dress for your Sangeet. This is because fully traditional attire will make it a bit difficult for you to dance. Choose a dress in a light fabric like georgette because silks or velvet will make you feel heavy and hot.

28. Mehendi Outfits for Punjabi Wedding

Get Mehendi Outfits for yourself

It is a romantic ceremony that takes place on the night before the wedding.

Henna leaves are dried in the sun and crushed and mixed with aromatic oils and herbs to form a paste from beforehand.

What to wear?

Wear something comfortable and light as it will be difficult to manage heavy clothing or dupattas with mehendi smeared hands. Checkout out more about mehndi ceremony outfits.

29. Jago function outfit for Punjabi Wedding

This ritual takes place in the wee hours of the morning. The maternal aunt of the bride carries a kadha decorated with lamps on her head and accompanied by other women of the family they visit the houses of friends and relatives nearby.

Punjabi folk songs accompany the ritual that sets the right mood for the wedding day.

30. Gana Bandhna & Chooda Chadhana Outfits

The next ritual involves a puja. This takes place in the houses of both the bride and the groom. Following the puja, the priest ties a sacred thread or mouli around the wrist of the bride and also the groom.

The chooda – four sets of red and ivory bangles – is one of the most important marriage symbols of a Punjabi bride. The ceremony in which the bride is made to wear it begins with a havan conducted by her maternal uncle.

The bride is supposed to wear the chooda until 6 months of the marriage or depending on your family tradition. Wear something simple yet elegant like a salwar suit for this occasion.

30. Haldi Dress for Punjabi Wedding

The sweet aroma of the haldi paste made up of turmeric, sandalwood rose water and mustard oil fills the morning air as friends and family smear the haldi on the bride on the morning of the wedding.

This paste is believed to give her the “bridal glow”.

A similar ceremony is also observed at the house of the groom. Learn more bout Haldi ceremony.

Wedding Day Outfits for a Punjabi Wedding

dawidbilskiphotography.com | Custom Made Bridal Lehenga & Sherwani

31. Sehrabandi and Varna Turban

A Punjabi guy is known by the pride and respect for his turban and and decorating it is utmost importance for a royal Punjabi Groom!

Sehrabandi involves him getting ready for the wedding. A small puja is performed where his sehra is blessed by the priest.

Then the elder male members of his family tie the turban around his head and put the sehra on him too. Wear a turban which compliments the sherwani and its overall look.

32. Ghodi Chadna, Baraat and Groomsmen outfits

Get Custom Made Groomen Outfit

The Punjabi groom goes to fetch his bride riding a horse or a mare just like a royal prince. The horse is adorned with decorations and is fed lentils and water by the women of the groom’s family.

The groom then mounts the horse and sets off for the wedding venue while his family and friends accompany him on his journey to his bride. Groomsmen must wear kurta pajama with a jacket or stole to compliment the groom sherwani.

Now comes the most awaited and fun event of the entire wedding where Groom’s friends and family dance all the way to get reach Bride’s venue doorstep.

Be ready and get your moves in order as you will be dragged (for sure) to dance in the front of the Ghodi. All the Uncles, Aunts, Sisters, Brothers, Friends and Family dance their hearts out to celebrate and welcome groom’s new life.

You would fall in love with this tradition – Baraat!!

33. Varmala to compliment your Wedding Dresses

Indian Wedding Dresses

The groom, just before the wedding, waits for his bride to meet him at the spot where the wedding rituals would take place. The bride enters in a grand fashion, a veil held over her head, accompanied by her sisters, cousins and friends.

Varmala should compliment the outfit of both bride and groom. Dont go for a marigold Varmala since its too old fashion. Rose Varmala is the way to go!

34. Kanyadaan and Brides father dress

Credit: alfaazphotography.com | Custom Made Wedding Wear

Amidst Vedic chants, the parents of the bride hand over the responsibility of their daughter to the groom.

The groom promises the bride’s father that he will take care of his wife forever. Brides father who is happy and sad at the same time should wear something ethnic and if not then if a western suit would do the justice to the occasion.

35. Joota Chhupai and Groom’s Jutti

This ritual, well-popularized by Bollywood, involves the sisters of the bride who hide the groom’s wedding shoes and demand money to return it. The groom’s friends and brothers, on the other hand, are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the shoes don’t get stolen.

Grooms choose your jutti carefully since it’s be seem by the whole wedding guests. In most cases the bride’s side wins and the money is seen as an auspicious gift to the bride’s sisters from their new brother-in-law.

36. Reception Gown for Punjabi bride

Your wedding reception is when all your finery needs to come out since this is a time when everyone is relaxed and looking to have some fun time. There are loads of options you can choose from but the Punjabi bride looks best in a gorgeous, majestic gown.

37. Multi layered Reception Gown for Punjabi bride

Multi layered reception gowns would look great for your big event.

What to wear?
You can choose an Indo-western attire for the reception if don’t want to wear a lehenga. However, a gorgeous saree looks really great on the bride on the day of her reception. You can also go for western gowns.

For brides, a gorgeous reception gown and for groom a well tailored suit or Indowestern would be perfect reception outfits.

38. Pag Phera Punjabi dress

In this ritual, the bride and the groom visit the house of the bride as a couple for the first time. They need to spend the night there and the next day they return to the bride’s new home. This marks the end of the wedding ceremony.

Conclusion

Punjabi wedding rituals reflect the joy and happiness of the bride and the groom. The ceremonies echo the love they feel for each other. The smell of the freshly pasted haldi or the sweet aroma of the mehendi, are all reminiscent of the deep-rooted romanticism that has enveloped the lives of the bride and the groom.

It is this atmosphere of love and happiness that balances the gusto, the ‘over-the-top’ enthusiasm, the loudness and colorfulness of a Punjabi wedding making it a roller-coaster ride of emotions, fun and rituals.

Looking for Indian Wedding Dresses?

Get Custom Made Indian Wedding wear which is made as per your requirements and body type!

Let’s Get Started!

15 Tips for the Curvy Bride for the Best Wedding Dress

Indian outfits look the most flattering on curvy figures. But that does not mean that a curvy girl can wear whatever she wants at her wedding. By choosing the wrong outfit, curvy girls may end up looking plump or fat. Although this is true, curvy girls have a reason to celebrate as there a myriad of options for them to choose from. Today we will explore the best wedding dresses for curvy figures and give you 15 top tips towards choosing the best dress.

First of all, curvy brides should keep one thing in mind – you may be fuller figured or have curves at the right places – do not shy away from feeling confident and beautiful on your wedding day. Bollywood may be in the habit of showing zero-figured brides, but in reality, a curvy bride looks really attractive. So, curvy brides don’t worry and celebrate your femininity to the fullest.

The key to wearing a perfectly flattering outfit on the wedding day is meticulous prior planning and customization. The biggest mistake a bride makes, curvy or otherwise, is picking up a wedding outfit off the rack at a store. These dresses don’t fit well and the fitting is far away from what they look like in the catalogue or on the mannequin. Instead of doing this, a bride should approach a designer or a stylist who can customize and put together her wedding outfit.

Best Wedding Dresses for Curvy Figures

A wedding dress should ideally have a well-tailored, flawless look. Not only that, it should match up to the elaborateness of an Indian wedding with all its glitzy accessories and traditional styles. You may be wearing a saree or a lehenga or a lehenga-saree or even a gown, the attire needs to be perfect in terms of cut, color, work etc. This is no different in case of voluptuous brides. She should be confident and her spirit should dazzle through her wedding dress.

She is the centre of all the finery, the ceremonies, the rituals and all the partying. Thus, her outfit should be mesmerizing and gorgeous. At the same time, the wedding dress should be comfortable. Indian wedding rituals take very long throughout which the bride needs to feel comfortable along with looking like a million dollars.

With every passing day, new-age designers are developing cuts and styles for all kinds of figures. The domain of plus-size clothing is also expanding. So if you are a curvy bride you may also want to go for an unconventional or non-tradition wedding dress. You can also combine western and Indian styles together to arrive at the best wedding dress for your curvy figure.

15 Tips for Plus Size Brides

If you are a plus-size bride, you have been endowed with a beautiful figure. In order to look gorgeous on your wedding day, all you need to do is accentuate your curves and hide some cellulite here and there. In order to do so, you would need the help of an expert who will customize the best wedding dress for you. But in order to guide the expert on the size, design, fabric etc of your wedding dress you need to know a few things. The tips below will help you with that –

There is no need for you to feel ashamed of your curves. Consider them to be your ‘X’ factor. So do not crash diet before your wedding in order to become thin. Far more important than your figure is the bridal glow on your face. If you crash diet before your wedding you will be losing all the radiance from your skin. Eat well, eat healthily, drink plenty of water and consume foods that detoxify your body. Stay fit and healthy for your wedding.
The second thing the curvy bride needs to do is identify her body type. She may be top-heavy, she may be bottom-heavy or she may have a round body type. If you are confused about concluding on this yourself, approach a designer who would identify your body type and tailor the perfect bridal dress for you.
Top-heavy brides should go for either for ‘U’ or ‘V’ shaped necklines. If you want to wear a dress go for an empire waistline one.
Plus-size brides with a heavy bottom should always choose the A-line cut if they are planning to wear an indo-western gown. This goes for lehenga skirts too. The straight cut might end up looking too tight at her hips.
If your tummy area remains bloated most of the time you should either go for a blouse that ends only a few centimetres above your waistline or a lehenga skirt with a high waist. If somehow you can manage to hide the area around your navel, your job will be done. Lehenga skirts with high waistlines look great with crop tops that hug your torso, making you look slimmer.
If you are planning the details on your attire consider patterning. Patterning accentuates curvy figures and at the same time draws attention away from more sensitive areas.
Most Indian women suffer from the problem of disproportionately heavy upper arms. Short sleeves accentuate the fat deposit there. So, here is the trick that will take the attention away from your arms – wear a blouse with full or three-quarter sleeves. The sleeves can also be made from a complementing sheer fabric.
You may not realize it but fabric plays a very important role in making you look thin or plump. Some fabrics need to be tailored with lining. If the fabric is already thick, along with the lining it might add an extra inch on your skin. For example, raw silk or tussar looks flattering on thin brides but the stiffness and thickness of the fabrics may make curvy brides look fat. Even velvet is a bad choice for curvy brides. Instead, choose a fluid and smooth fabric like georgette, crepe, chiffon, net, soft silk, satin etc.
Colour plays an important role in deciding how put-together and slim a bride is looking. Not only dark, but rich colours like red, maroon, royal blue etc look very flattering on curvy figures.
Believe it or not, going monotone really works with curvy brides. Pick a dark and rich colour and wear it from top to bottom. You can play with the tone and try different shades of the same colour. Don’t go for a contrasting blouse or a contrasting dupatta. Bring in variations in the embellishments or the work on the fabric. Going monotone creates a visual illusion that makes you appear thin.
Love the printed lehenga? Great! But choose smaller motifs. Large prints, in any case, look a bit quirky and may make a curvy bride look fat. Also, make sure that the motifs on the printed lehenga are not scattered haphazardly. This too looks bad! They should be placed in a pattern, close to each other, almost resembling brocade. Motifs like small buttis add more symmetry and elegance to the lehenga.
Those who are not fans of the printed lehenga can opt for heavy detailed embroidery or embellishment. Meticulously done detail work on your wedding dress can make the curvy bride look slim and trim. But tell your designer not to use too many light-reflecting sequins on the lehenga. It will end up making you look wider than you are.
If you are top-heavy, do not make the mistake of wearing a high-neck blouse. Make sure that your neckline is wide. If you feel that a wide and low neckline may expose some extra skin, use jewellery to cover it up.
Those brides who will wear saree instead of lehenga, should be extra keen on draping it correctly. With a saree you can’t really play around with the cut hence all the pleats need to be even and pressed. This tip is particularly important for traditional heavy wedding sarees like the Kanjivaram saree or the Benarasi brocade saree. These sarees are made up of thick silk and zari. Their borders are stiff and bulky. So if the pleats are not done properly, especially at the midriff where one has to tuck in the pleats under the petticoat, it may end up looking bulky and bunched up.
Ask your stylist to drape your lehenga dupatta like the pleats of a saree. This not only looks elegant but also makes the bride look more put-together and slimmer.

Best Indian Wedding Dress Options for Curvy Brides

The Saree

Though debatable, many ace designers opine that the saree is the best outfit for curvy women. Curvy-figured style icons like Vidya Balan or Huma Qureshi have reiterated this by wearing gorgeous sarees and appearing in front of media. Sarees also give you the opportunity to bring about variations in blouses through different cuts and shapes. If you are that curvy bride who loves to experiment you can go for a long designer blouse. But curvy brides with a wide midriff may want to stay away from a saree. This is because sarees look flattering on figures with a proportionately narrow waistline.

The Lehenga Saree

A lehenga saree is flattering like a saree and elegant like a lehenga. A lehenga saree is suave and minimalistic, thus creating an illusion of a leaner appearance. A lehenga saree perhaps is the most flattering wedding dress for brides who have a lot of curves as it accentuates the curves and creates an impressive silhouette. The lack of pleats makes the curvy bride look less bulky than in a saree and the designer pallu covers up the extra fat at the midriff.

The Lehenga

For some brides, the lehenga is the ultimate wedding outfit. But styling it properly can be a bit tricky for curvy brides. The cut of the lehenga plays a very important role. Whether to go for an A-line cut or a straight cut will depend entirely on the figure type of the bride. But if you are a curvy bride, do not go for traditional cholis with short sleeves. Instead, make sure that your choli has a wide neckline, three-quarter or long sleeves and is a few inches longer than the normal choli. Curvy brides, who can carry out-of-the-box outfits, can go for a jacket style choli.

The Floor Length Anarkali Suit

In many Indian traditions and customs, brides have to wear a salwar suit on their wedding day. Muslim or Punjabi brides, who are a bit on the heavier side and who have to wear a salwar suit on their D-days, stay away from the short kurti-patiala-dupatta style. Patialas and short kurtis can make you look fat, especially if you are bottom-heavy. Instead, you can go for an anarkali suit. Floor-length anarkalis have a regal look that makes a statement in itself. Choose a dark colour like royal blue or maroon. Just make sure that if you are top-heavy, the anarkali does not hug your torso too tightly. The pleats of the anarkali should also ideally start at the top of the midriff.

At the end of the day, what a curvy bride needs is a good designer or stylist who understands her figure and tailors the perfect wedding dress for her. Curvy figures do not fall under a singular body type. They come in all shapes and thus need to be addressed to in a customized manner. The key to the best wedding dress for the curvy figure is customization. If you are a curvy bride, make sure that your designer consults you at every step of the process – from selecting the colour to choosing the fabric to planning the embroidery. Make sure that you also go for enough number of trials and get alterations done accordingly. Always go for well-fitted dresses and stay away from unnecessary layers on your dress.

If you want customized wedding dresses for curvy brides, get in touch us. We, at Get Ethnic, work on the principle of customization for every bride – curvy or slim. Our team of designers, craftsmen, stylists etc work hard on every customer to create the best wedding outfit for her.