Gujarati Dressing Style For Weddings… From Rustling Silk To Bejewelled Trousseau

None of us can disagree with the resplendent affair that weddings prove to be, irrespective of the culture and religion. Moreover, weddings in India are a grand affair. We have all been witnesses, and they only get larger and more colourful with each year, with detailed attention given to everything from food to hospitality and especially the dressing style. And this is what makes them such a riot of colours and straight out of the fairyland.

Gujarati weddings perfectly mirror colourful celebrations. With coming together of traditional and modern dressing sensibilities, here we specifically take you to Gujarati dressing style and all its bling and dash. For, who doesn’t want a quick inside brush up on one of the most colourful wedding traditions of the country?

1. What The Bride Adorns

Beginning with the star of the event around whom the entire celebration centres and swirls! Going by the Gujarati dressing style, the bride usually has two sets of sarees she dons in the course of the function. First, the Panetar is worn during the initial part of the function and is the Gajji silk white saree having a red border and golden zari patterns of check or stripes or other patterns. It is a gift to the bride by the maternal relatives.

For the second half of the function, she changes into a Gharchola which is traditionally a red or green silk saree with zari thread work and embellishments and obviously the famous Bandhini designs (this stands as the mark of acceptance by the in-laws of the bride-to-be) speak highly of a rich and colourful wedding.

Even this enviously beautiful tradition with time had been made one step better by the new age brides, yes, you got to believe that. The new age brides are now moving on to the modern Gujarati dressing style like dresses and lehengas with dupatta draped in the Gujarati style, fanning across the blouse and draping Gharchola over Panetar, thereby combining the two. They are even going for newer shades like peach, pink and orange, giving a new and refreshing touch and twist to the traditionally awe-inspiring trousseau.

2. Pre-Wedding Glitter:

As in most of the Indian weddings, even the Gujarati wedding is not a one-day affair but a culmination of a long train of tiring and exhilarating ceremonies which keep the guests busy and the aesthetic-craving hearts fawning. With a list of pre-wedding rituals like Chandol Matli, Gol Dhana, Mehndi, Sangeet and Pithi (Haldi), one requires a dressing style which is both up to the spirit of the function as well as comfortable and not too heavy. This should be kept in mind because most functions are filled with food, dancing and in case of Mehendi and Pithi, pastes which might get into your clothes, forever. The bride usually wears a saree or suit for Mehndi and Haldi and lehenga for engagement, while this is really up to her own tastes.

The guests, mostly women, take Gujarati dressing style a notch higher and opt for Bandhani sarees or light but festive dresses which are both functional and in tune with the bling and the glitter.

3. What The Groom Decks Up In

Traditionally, the Gujarati dressing style of the groom involves a Dhoti kurta and Bandhani Dupatta around his neck, along with embellished or unembellished Pagdi. However just like the bridal trousseau, with the change in the changing fashion sensibilities. Those days are passé when men were aloof of styling. Recently, the groom has been experimenting with the wedding trousseau too, with an inclination towards the new Indo western Gujarati dressing style to go modern with the right mix of tradition and fun and alternatively, for western attires in some instances.

4. Completing Gems

No function is ever complete without the adequate amount of bling. That’s when accessories or jewellery come into the scene. The Gujarati dressing style of a bride, who walks down the proverbial aisle, is complete only when she is bejewelled like a true blue princess and that too in the choicest of the contemporary jewels. Traditionally, the Gujarati wedding jewellery includes everything from head to toe.

Raani Haar stands true to its name in being a full-length jewelled beauty setting the tone for the outfit, Damini graces the forehead with strings along the sides and then comes the Bajubandh for the arm and Kandora that adorns the waist. Apart from this, there are other ornaments like Ancia Chandan haar and Kundan Bangdi (bangles) etc. Even in the ornaments nowadays, brides go for more royal, exclusively made or rented, heavier or lighter version according to the preferences.

5. Guest? Steal The Spotlight

Lastly, if you are guest to one of these colourful weddings, you just have to be sure about the nature of the event for the dressing up and be a Good Samaritan. Don’t clash with the bride and pick colours other than reds and magentas as these are usually reserved for the brides.

Women can doll up in Anarkalis or a rainbow sarees and don a small bindi to elevate the look. A finely knit lehenga will also do the trick. Men can opt for traditional Gujarati dressing style that includes a dapper Dhoti kurta or kurta Pyjama. Even a three-piece suit will add a refreshing western twist.

Therefore, chic up your wedding look with vibrant Gujarati dressing style and feel like your best self!