|
Big
Fab Indian Wedding...
|
|
| Since then, the number of participants in Bridal Asia has doubled to 80 and this October, she expects 60,000 visitors at the exhibition, which will sprawl over 40,000 sq ft. There are several such annual wedding extravaganzas, heralding the beginning of the wedding season with a mix of traditional and international offerings. Together, they rake in at least Rs 225 crore in sales.
At Bridal Asia held in October in New Delhi, the glamorous Rina Dhaka made a very strong, somewhat quirky statement about the state of Indian weddings as she sees it. “It’s all about love, sex and money. I tried to show this by my embroidery, the money garlands and the music (the tune that Daryl Hannah whistles ominously in Kill Bill). I wanted to show girls that are wicked in thought, but innocent in spirit. It’s also about hypocrisy though -- Indian weddings are predominantly planned affairs, down to shopping for brides and grooms in the matrimonial,” she said.
Dhaka agrees that weddings are still predominantly traditional, and wonders at the designers who think that they have to get sexy to grab attention on the ramp. “This sends out the wrong message about your collection, and since the market is really nowhere near bra cholis or anything like that, you’ll lose out on business,” she reasons. Dhaka’s “bread and butter”, according to her, comes from her wedding clothes, and mostly she sells saris that are priced in the range of Rs 20,000-40,000 off the rack.
The ‘theme’ thing has crept in and weddings are becoming much more sophisticated, with brides selecting a theme that they maintain throughout all aspects of their wedding. The wedding dress must, of course, fit into this, so colours and accessories are vital. Colour still remains vital, and is still quite conservative. Indians are still clinging to pastels and Swarovski crystals, when it comes to wedding outfits. Some recent choices of blues, greens and flames have been bold and
interesting.
|
|
|
|
The minimum budget for a wedding is Rs 15 lakh, say planners. The average American wedding costs around Rs 12 lakh |
|
|
However, it would be safe to say that aquas and lilacs will continue to rule the roost. But the use of traditional colours like red, maroon, gold, and fabrics like brocades, silks for the actual wedding outfit have always been, are, and will always be the most sought after. Also, Indian brides, wherever in the world they are, come to India to shop for the wedding.
And what is a wedding with out jewellery to match? Jewellery forms an integral part of the bride’s trousseau. With the growing awareness of fashion trends, brides today are becoming more fashion conscious and prefer functional jewellery to traditional designs, so that it is wearable and can be used on a daily basis.
So, what’s the right jewellery to choose this bridal season? Though elaborate jewellery cannot be ruled out completely yet, the general trend these days is to buy one heavy set and one or two light sets (in diamonds or gold) so that the jewellery is impeccable for each occasion. However, diamonds and real precious stones would be the perfect choice. Gold is a universal favourite, whereas platinum still remains an elite choice.
It’s not enough to deck yourself up in jewels and the latest designer togs. To give it the right effect the setting has to be right. The wedding is also a celebration and has to be organised. It’s no longer something which your family elders got together to do. So you hire marriage organisers and event managers to work it out and make sure that everything functions like clockwork, just as you had always wanted it.
|
|
More... |
|
|
|
|
|
November 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
