Marriage is a decision of a lifetime. Though most Indians associate a certain age with marriage, at the end of the day it is your life and your decision.
If you feel that you need to give more time before taking the decision of marriage or if you feel that there are other things like career or family that requires prioritization before marriage, trust us, you have made the right choice. If you have pursued your passion before planning your marriage, you have definitely broken rules gracefully and you deserve respect for that!
Now that you have taken the decision to get married, make sure that all that you plan for your wedding, including your wedding attire, represents this free-spiritedness that you embody. Also, if you are a bride whose being second time lucky, you are a strong woman and your wedding needs to represent this strength.
The key to dressing up impressively in a late or second wedding is sophistication. Many of us equate sophistication with being boring or dull. No, sophistication is all about embracing who you really are. You can be sophisticated and glamorous at the same time but you need to know what to wear.
If you follow our suggestion we will tell you to go for a wedding dress that is out-of-the-box. But by any chance, this different or the non-traditional wedding dress should not be quirky. You need to select something which will bring out your beauty as well as your grace; it will make you look beautiful and also demand respect; it will complement your figure yet not be too exposing; it will make you look smart yet make you feel comfortable; it will be a wedding dress but a non-traditional one!
If you are a mature bride, you are more about who you are! Thus stereotypical, princess-style pink and red lehengas are just not for you! You need to look effortlessly elegant. So if you have waited long to find ‘the one’ you can also go a long extent to find the most suitable wedding dress for you. Don’t worry as we can promise you company in this search.
Expert Tips to Choose the Right Wedding Dress
If you are a mature bride, a lot of friends and relatives will give you a lot of advice on the things that you should not wear for your wedding. Do not listen to them! The key to looking effortlessly graceful on your wedding day is being comfortable in your own skin. Do not adhere to any particular style, do not follow clichés. Just know a few basic things that will just help you in your quest for the right dress.
10 Perfect Non Traditional Wedding Dresses for Older or Mature Brides
Here are some tips for you that will do exactly that.
Veil or No Veil: That is the Question
We don’t live in an age when brides were too shy to show their faces. Thus, the veil or the dupatta, which accompanies the wedding attire of many Indian brides, is absolutely unnecessary. If not chosen properly, it can break the whole look instead of complimenting it. Thus, we suggest that you skip it. Hold your head high in pride as you walk towards the man of your dreams. Still, if you really want to carry a dupatta, do it in grace and don’t simply use it to cover your head.
Less is More
Do not over-accessorize. Do not go for a lot of glitzy and shining stuff. Do not wear too much jewellery. Remember one golden rule – if you put on something that does not complement your personality – it will turn out to be disastrous for your wedding look. Choose a wedding dress which is all about class. Choose pieces of jewellery that are timeless – just like you are!
Colour it Right
If you are a mature bride, then it is very important that you choose the right colour for your wedding dress. We suggest that you stay away from traditional fare that includes red, pink, magenta, maroon, fuchsia etc. Instead, go for a colour that compliments your nature. Choose a pastel shade like light mustard or millennial pink or if you like to experiment further you may also opt for brown or steel colour. Remember that grey Sabyasachi Mukherjee lehenga that Kareena Kapoor wore on the ramp with her baby bump? If that lehenga can become a rage, why should you play safe?
Give Maximum Importance to Your Body Type
While choosing the style, shape or colour of their wedding wear most mature brides think in terms of their age. However stereotypical it may sound but after all, age is just a number. What you should actually think about while shopping for your wedding is your body type. Age does leave some imprints on our bodies so keep that in mind while selecting the fit and cut of the dress. Along with that, also think if you will be comfortable wearing it.
Stick to your Personal Style
Show-stopping sparkly wedding attire is suitable for younger brides as it makes them feel more confident. You do not need that to feel good about yourself! Instead, think of what your personal style is. Think of how you like to see yourself at your confident best! Speak to your designer or stylist about this and let this be the theme of your wedding dress.
Choose the Right Blouse
Designer Shaina NC says that it is the blouse of a saree or a lehenga that can make or break a look. Whereas young brides don’t like to experiment with the cut or shape of their blouses, you have the liberty to do so! Wear a traditional saree and go for a blouse which is completely out-of-the-box. This will create a fashion statement in itself. Thus, invest in the blouse but make sure that it is not way too exposing.
Go Vintage
Vintage style clothing, which is a mark of class, looks great on mature brides. You can also theme your wedding attire according to the fashion eras that you adore. Be it a Mumtaz-style saree from the 60s or a lehenga inspired from Rekha’s Umrao Jaan – whatever is the style flaunt it with grace.
Choose Value over Size
A tendency with mature brides is that they feel comfortable behind accessories. Don’t do so! You may love to flaunt bold neckpieces and boho earrings on a day-to-day basis. But at your wedding, this will not work. Thus, when planning jewellery, give up the idea of the bold and go for the intricate instead. Choose price instead of size! Also in terms of clothing, prioritize fabric over embellishments. Remember, that by choosing to get married at your own time you have set a different class for yourself. Respect that while planning your attire.
Some Wedding Dress Options that You May Choose From
Nothing Beats the Elegance of a Saree
If you are Indian and you are marrying at a later stage in life, wearing an elegant saree is perhaps your safest bet. A saree is a timeless piece of ethnic wear. Sarees don’t come with age, body type etc associated with them. And you have a plethora of options to choose from. A saree is a piece of elegance. We would suggest that you pick a saree in a rich fabric. Do not go for blended fabrics. Be it a high-quality silk saree from South India, like a Kanjivaram or a pure chiffon saree with Lucknowi Zardosi work or a masterpiece of a Baluchari from Bengal – choose something that signifies class. Sarees also have a tendency to complement accessories without making them look too over-the-top. So choose your jewellery carefully. Try to look dignified instead of affluence!
If you are choosing to go for a saree, we suggest that you drape it in an elegant way. Do not go for traditional draping styles. Give it your personal twist. For example, get a personalized blouse made by a designer and drape your saree in the casual everyday style and hold the pallu elegantly. At most, you can pair your saree with an appropriate kamarbandh.
An Innovative Salwar Suit
Another timeless, comfortable and undeniable part of ethnic Indian wear is the salwar suit. Punjabi brides have proven time and again that though primarily considered to be an item of everyday wear, the salwar suit can look divine on a wedding day. Salwar suits also don’t come with an age tagged on them. Thus if you are a mature bride, you can easily go for it.
Like we said earlier, all you need to do is bring about an element of innovativeness to your wedding attire. So instead of a plain salwar or a traditional Patiala pant, go for a sharara or a dhoti-style pant. Instead of having too much of embellishments on the kurta, go for intricate designs on the pleats of your dhoti pants or the lower border of your sharara. With this look, a dupatta is a must! But instead of draping it around your head in the traditional way, ask your stylist to prescribe a new of way of carrying it.
A Lehenga with a Twist
If you really want to wear a lehenga like the younger brides, don’t shy away from doing so! After all, it is only in one’s wedding that one gets to flaunt a gorgeous, larger-than-life lehenga. All we are asking you to do is wear a lehenga which has been specially customized for you instead of just picking up something from the shop. A lehenga for the mature bride needs to be tailored in a way that complements her figure. It should hide all the bulges and accentuate all your curves. Also, colour plays a very important role here. We would suggest that you stay away from traditional colours like red, gold, maroon, pink etc and go for unique and understated colours like peach, pastel blue, millennial pink, slate etc. If you really want red or maroon on your lehenga get it combined with another colour that neutralizes it. Too much of neons or bright colours on your lehenga will not work that well.
A Western or Indo-western Gown
If you trust us then close your eyes and pick up a western or indo-western gown for your wedding. This is the perfect attire for a mature bride. A gown is elegant, sober and at the same time makes you look grand. You can play around with the colours and the work on your gown and in spite of putting in a piece of your mind in the attire, you still won’t go wrong! Mature brides who have decided to get married in a non-traditional way, that is, by getting the registry done and throwing a party for your friends and relatives, should definitely go for a gown. Not only will it make you look gorgeous but also keep you comfortable as you move around the party and interact with your guests. Remember to wear your hair in a sleek and elegant hairstyle and keep the jewellery minimal.
A Skirt Style Salwar Suit
The perfect fusion of a lehenga and a salwar suit is the skirt style salwar suit that is also a perfect wedding dress for the mature bride. A skirt style salwar suit includes a skirt with a nice flare and heavy work and embellishments. You can also compare this skirt to a lehenga bottom. With this, you need to pair a suitable kurta which ends at your knees or a little above it and has high slits. A complementing dupatta completes the look. A mature bride looks really beautiful and elegant in such a dress. She has the comfort of a skirt, the cut of a kurta and the elegance of a dupatta. This attire also allows you to play around with colours and embellishments.
All tips given, at the end of the day, the mature bride should remember that it is her wedding day and she should wear whatever she feels like without worrying about what others think. Just remember that before everything else, your look needs to represent class and dignity! Think of how Kate Middleton or Grace Kelly dressed up at their weddings and you would know what we are talking about. Still, if you need expert advice, you should definitely get in touch with us. Our team of craftsmen and designers are more than equipped to create perfectly customized wedding wear for you. In the end, it is your wedding and above all, you should look and feel amazing.
