To Dress Royal Is To Dress In Resham

Indian weddings have always been a grand and exotic affair, dotted with traditions, occasions and important customs as per the Indian culture. Such ceremonies leave little room for error. From choosing the venue to decorations and picking the delicacies, everything has to be proper, well thought out and executed according to the plan.

The day holds most of the significance for the bride; her life turns over a new leaf, with new beginnings and new bonds being created. To mark her day, she must do everything right—the ceremonies will hold a special place in her heart for eternity. Her attire too gains paramount importance. The ensemble, her lehenga, jewelry and all those outfits she will adorn on different ceremonies—she must plan months ahead of her wedding. Trousseau collection, therefore, is a mighty feat—fun if you plan properly, intimidating if you don’t.

Choosing a perfect wedding trousseau is a task to hold up. Selecting summer wedding dresses can be overwhelming, especially when you have to take note of colour palette, right fabric, and most importantly, the technique. Of all these factors, taking care of the technique is important, because that’s what will give your wedding ensemble the desired look.

Talking of techniques, resham work has always evoked a sense of royalty and unmatched elegance. This is a trend which has returned as one of the fondest techniques for designers. Resham finds itself adorned in the most beautiful ways; in lehengas, tabards, gowns, sarees and even simple kurtas. Designers like Anita Dongre weave magic with this technique; the result is overwhelmingly beautiful wedding dresses, suits and lehengas with a modern approach. We urge you to curate a trousseau around this age-old regal technique, and here’s how you can:

Haldi/Mehendi

For a colourful affair like this, we suggest you go vibrant all they way! Pick shades of yellow, cream, pink and mint for haldi and mehendi ceremonies. Always keep in mind such festivities take place under the sun—breathable, organic fabrics will work better—giving your skin the respite it needs!

You can go for an all yellow kurta/ tabard with a sharara/skirt duo and pair it up with a jacket in resham work. The jacket can contrast your suit; pick shades like off white with hues of red or blue for the resham threadwork. Pair with fabric juttis, minimal jewelry and nude lipstick!

You can also wear a gown in resham embroidery—pick a monochromatic combo of a white gown or a pastel blue gown in resham embroidery, and pair with a sheer jacket in the same shade. You can add block heels to the equation, along with a metallic clutch and smoky eye make-up for an edgy look.

Sangeet/Cocktail

These events never let you sit in one place. From dancing to meeting people around, the sangeet and the cocktail need something that is comfortable, easy to carry and doesn’t let you lose the oomph factor. These are the ceremonies where you can go all jazzy!

Pick a light-hued resham saree and pair with a bold cut blouse. These can be in hues of off white, blush pink and black duo etc. You can do a care free bun, dramatic make-up and statement jewelry for a semi- Indian chic result.

If you really want to be the life of your party, go for something funky like a dress and a long embellished jacket. Keep the colours toned down—loud colours are passé! Pair with sky-high heels, big chunky chaand baalis (even a maang tikka if you can pull it off) and a nude lipstick. Let hair loose in soft curls!

Wedding

This big day needs grandeur and royalty in your dressing. You can go for a heavy resham lehenga in red, dark blue or pink with gota patti and zardozi embroidery, paired with a contrasting resham bandi. Another option of resham that you can get is a lehenga choli set with heavy geometrical and floral inspired motifs and elaborate embellishments. Choose elegant bridal jewelry like gold jadau necklaces and earrings that go with the outfit. Explore splendid wedding couture lehengas at bridal stores like Anita Dongre’s.