Traditional Look 101: Keep the Basics Right to Get the Perfect Look!

In the urban lifestyle, a wedding is one occasion where everyone just loves to dress up in a traditional look to look his or her absolute best. There is something special about the Indian look that cannot be expressed in words. Just by wearing any type of ethnic outfit makes us feel great about our culture and traditions.

India is a country deep-rooted in traditions and everyone respects that. When it comes to traditional wear in weddings, different cultures have different attires, settings, jewellery and celebrations. A Christian wedding is completely different than that of a Hindu wedding and yet wearing traditional clothes according to the event causes the same happiness everywhere. This is the reason why everyone prefers a traditional look at the weddings.

Even though the traditional look is so common, people still manage to goof it up. Some go too overboard while some go so bland with their ensemble that it does not look good. You must base your outfit on the ceremony you have to attend, however, we understand that planning your outfits according to the customs of other people can be tedious. Each wedding is different in its own way and something that looks great at one person’s function may be perceived as odd at another function! Of course, though one can never predict how the wedding pans out, looking good is totally in your own hands.

Sounds terrifying and challenging? There is no need for you to worry, as we have come up with some of the most basic things to keep in mind to maintain that traditional look you are aiming for!

1. Do not forget your mehndi

Mehndi is something that is too important to forget or not have. A North Indian bride does not look the part if she does not have mehndi applied on her. With more and more designs in the market and the lines blurring between different parts of the country, mehndi is now a national sensation among brides from all parts of the country. The traditional look first starts with the mehndi for a bride and her guests. It is so important that a separate event exists just for the bride to get her hands done!

2. Cover your head with a dupatta

The bride covering her head with a dupatta is of utmost importance in an Indian wedding, as it has a lot of tradition associated with it. While in some parts of India, the bride has to cover her face as well, others just have to cover their head during the wedding. It is a practice commonly seen in North India. In some traditions, during the wedding ceremony, the mother-in-law gives the bride another dupatta to cover her head, as a sign of welcoming her to her new house.

If we talk about other traditions, Christian brides also typically wear a veil when the wedding ceremony takes place. Therefore, it is important that you follow this to complete your traditional look, if it is part of your traditions.

3. The rulebook for boys

When it comes to boys, there are not many rules to follow to get the traditional look. You just have to wear traditional clothes according to your culture. Boys can be a bit hesitant at first but as mentioned above, following your culture norms is the best way to attain that traditional look you are looking for. If your culture dictates that you should be wearing a turban or pagdi at the wedding, you might as well wear it. Bengalis wear topori, which is unique to them. Similarly, there are many such different traditions followed in different cultures.

4. Choose red to be as traditional as possible

In Hindu weddings, the most important colour is red. If you want a traditional look that is true to its core, then there should be no doubt regarding what colour you must choose for your attire! Red stands for love, purity, for the role of a goddess and much more. Go for a red lehenga with heavy embroidery for the perfect bridal look. The colour of the embroidery can be golden, silver or ivory based. These are the three colours that look absolutely stunning in a wedding attire.

5. The Christian traditions

In Christian weddings, things get slightly different because here the traditions have a modern approach. The option for the traditional look is a three-piece suit for the groom and white wedding gowns for the bride. The bride can choose other light colours as well but nothing beats white when it comes to gowns for a wedding. Similarly, the groom too should opt for classic colours like black or dark blue. However, in south Indian Christian weddings, the bride can wear sarees whereas the groom can wear the basic mundu-shirt combination too!

These tips can help you ensure that your whole ensemble is as traditional as it gets. If you’re looking for tips pertaining to different regions, explore our blog as we have tons of them!

Get in touch with our makeup artists for the perfect regional traditional look!