How to Dress for an Indian Wedding

Indian weddings are a mixture of fashion, tradition, custom fun and rituals. If you have been to an Indian wedding, you know the outfit you wear is important. An Indian wedding gives you the opportunity to style up and flaunt your style. The wedding has bright colors, good food, ceremonies and traditions. If you are invited to an Indian wedding, you should respect traditions and customs by dressing in the right way.

Fashionable Traditional clothes you can wear to an Indian wedding

For women

Wearing traditional attire to an Indian wedding is highly recommended. You can chose to style up your outfit by wearing traditional attire with modern style infused. You can also check out Indian traditional wedding saree for some inspirations.

Saree

A saree is a common traditional dress in India. It is a symbol of style and culture.  A saree consists of a piece of drape fitted for ceremony’s, especially for Indian weddings. One end of the saree is wrapped around the waist while the other is draped over the shoulder. Style it with a colourful fitting choli and a beautiful petticoat. Choose your saree according to your size, length and preference.  They come in chiffon, silk, crepe and georgette.

Lehenga

A lehenga is an ankle length skirt decorated with embroideries and pleats. A wedding lehenga can be matched with a choli top or a Langa voni to make the perfect wedding attire.  You can chose among the different variations, keep in mind that the Gotta patti is the most popular for weddings and festive ceremonies.

Kurti ensemble

One way to dress a kurti for wedding s is pairing it with a silk lehenga. Your kurti should be ankle length and the lehenga flowing on the ground. It’s a stylish outfit you can wear to weddings and festivals. You can also wear a gorgeous hip-long kurti from stylecaret with a pleated, flared lehenga.

Anarkali suits

The anarkali suit is and dress made to create a silhouette. It has been popular in Indian weddings for centuries. You can wear this elegant dress with stylish footwear and clutch. An anarkali suit is the perfect way to dress respectfully to religious rituals and ceremonies

For men

Kurta and Pyjama

Kurta is worn casually but Men can pair it with pyjama for wedding and festivals. The kurta is straight and lose fitting and goes either above of beyond the knee. This ensemble has been worn for festivities for several centuries. You can wear this outfit with sandals or chappals to complete the look.

Sherwani Garba

It has been used for both formal and informal occasions in India for centuries .The sherwani is a long classy colourful coat that can be won over a dhoti or pyjama. There’s nothing more elegant and graceful like wearing a sherwani to a Hindu wedding. You can wear your Sherwani over your kurti pyjama ensemble to complete the look.

Unspoken wedding fashion rules for the guests

Choose your colors wisely

Bright colors are very popular in weddings. Do not wear anything red as it’s the color of the bride’s dress. The bride may not be fully dressed in red but it will be part of her wedding outfits. Wearing red may draw all the attention from the bride. Remember to avoid anything black and white because these are attires worn to funerals. 

Dark colors will make you stick out in the wedding and you wound blend in with the ceremony. All this depends on the part of India the ceremony is. It is best to investigate and understand the wedding ceremony before hand so you can chose the right attire.

Your attires should be respectful

Dress modestly: don’t wear anything too tight or too revealing as it will make other people feel uncomfortable. Hindu tradition does not include short and revealing outfits in their culture, don’t wear short dresses and off the shoulder clothes. Whether you are Indian or not, you should respect their customs and traditions. Western fashion is acceptable as long as it is respectful. 

Respect the temple

Almost all Indian weddings take place in the temple. While in the temple you will be required to cover your head. Women use long silky scarves to cover their heads while men can bring along white handkerchiefs. Mostly, the head attire is provided at the temple during the wedding ceremony.

Be comfortable

As we all know, Indian weddings can take a lot of time, make sure you chose outfits that you will be comfortable in.  This does not mean that you dress casually, pick a stylish but comfortable outfit that will match the other guests’ attire. Don’t wear casual denim styles and tee-shirts.

You can chose a traditional wedding saree, anarkali suit and a kurti ensemble that is comfortable butt festive enough for the occasion. Make sure you are in comfortable shoes because theres a lot of dancing Indian weddings and they can take up to three days.

Include jewellery in your outfit

Indian jewellery has stood the test of time when it comes to fashion and trending. Wearing jewellery to Indian ceremonies is a must. Don’t just make effort on the outfit and forget about the jewellery. Without jewellery, your outfit will look incomplete.

You could select a good pair of traditional chaand balis for your ears and pair that with a bright saree. A few bangles on your hand will make your outfit complete Indian attire.  Male guests can also accessorise by adding jewelled buttons to their outfits. If you are not from an Indian culture, don’t be afraid to add some jewellery to your outfit no matter how little. As long as you do, you will be appreciated for showing interest in their customs and traditions. 

Overall if you are a guest don’t overdo anything. You must aim to blend in to the crowd and not take away the attention from the real stars. Try to be stylish and elegant in a traditional outfit. Weddings are a special in India; you should give it your best when it comes to styling. Chose a traditional outfit that is elegant, classy and in style.