A wedding is supposed to be the most memorable time of a person’s life. As a function, it unites not just two persons but their families as well; a celebration of friends and family alike.
The truth is, however, that when it comes to dressing for a wedding, you may enjoy your friend’s or relative’s weddings more than your own. Wedding fashion is now something not only for the bride and the groom, but for all the entire guests as well.
Today’s wedding planners and event stylists have even taken the responsibility of styling entire families. So, here is what is trending now in the world of wedding guest fashion.
Destination fashion is on the downturn
Dressing for the wedding’s location used to be a thing, but this trend is shifting. “Wedding fashion has moved to the ones finding a traditional touch. Destination wedding is already out, and people now prefer a more sensible approach,” says Lisha Dilip, a Delhi-based fashion designer. These include evergreen traditional wedding designs like sarees.
Says Shalmon Sudheer, a final-year fashion design student from NIFT Chennai, “If it is a wedding or a reception party, we always want to be the best among all. Frankly, we should be the highlight more than the bride and groom.” Shalmon feels that in order to stand out it may be better to go for embroidered dresses over printed ones. “Embroidery can be of thread, beads, zardosi. It will be always perfect to go along with traditional motifs and border designs. When it comes to a wedding guest, the important thing is to select the colour of the garment and its silhouette. Give first preference for the colours which match your skin colour.”
2019 wedding styles are all about light powdery pastels with contrasts, and a few ones with bright shades. The colours include: ivory, pale silver, blush, nudes, light grey, pale yellow, powder blue, pale lilac. These soft hues on sarees and lehengas can give a retro yet modern look.
Pale colours such as ivory and nudes look gorgeous when left plain. It can either be completely plain or with little embellishments like ruffles. A good example would be a heavily embellished blouse with thread works or crystal detailing.
Adding a cape to a pale-coloured saree can be a good style statement. It can emphasize your look out of the monochrome saree. Consider pale shades with net sarees featuring embellishments on the border, such as applique borders which go with sleeveless embroidered blouses.
Blush pink is the most trending out of the pale shades, with traditional motifs including rose, leaf and mango. Pale sky blue is popular among the blues and can suit any skin tone.
A wedding is incomplete without sophisticated and rich colours like gold and silver, with pale silver more popular than gold at present: Both of which are ideal with fringe details on pallus or half-embroidered ones. Sheer blouses with embellishments on the wrist can add the gracefulness of a golden saree which match the cuffs and bangles.
All these pale sarees can be accessorized with a traditionally designed choker and bracelets, or a heavy jhumka. Experiment with long jackets, sculpted and Indo-western dhoti style sarees, peplum blouses, and designer blouses. A unique drape style can also make you stand out in the crowd.
There are some colours such as wine and ruby red to dominate over the reds. Even two-toned colour combinations are seen with rich colours such as midnight blues and burgundy. Sarees in this two toned colours should be left without pleats, there lies its beauty. A mismatched choker can work well here.
All the wedding dresses of this year are seen with the heavy embellishments on the pale shades, traditional touch with the accessories. Bright on White is a good choice of dress code for the guests, with bright embellishments on white or pale coloured fabrics, including neon sequins and rose cutworks.
Though lehenga and gowns are good synonyms for a wedding guest dress, why not to try something new? Since it’s the time of reviving fashion and sustainability, with brides reinventing new stuffs with their mother’s or grandmother’s outfit, why not the guests too? Indian designers are up with the old desi outfits turning into modern silhouettes, such as capes and long party wear skirts to palazzos, asymmetrical hemlines to dhotis, wedding sarees to A line garments and kurtas .
Cape being in trend now, can be a significant element for your lehengas and gowns, provided if you can minimalize your jewelry and leave your dupatta for a while. You can even use your old sheer dupatta to stitch a cape for your anarkali.
Pair up the two trending wedding fashion statements, kurtas and long skirts. Either you can contrast them, or give a monochrome look. You may/may not leave your dupatta.
If you can’t find yourself better with the cape, try a contrasting jacket with an anarkali or the gown. You can even stitch a sheer jacket as well. Anarkalis look good with long silk jackets and easily be coordinated with the rest of your outfit. Wide leg palazzos, and dhoti pants for the slim and tall ones. You can also pair up the dhoti with short anarkali kurtas and long kurtas as well.
Cigarette pants can go well with silky asymmetric hemline kurtas.
Sharara has made a revival this summer. Give a traditional look with your short heavily embellished kurta and sharara pants.
Dupattas are a good statement for Indian weddings. A heavy silk, embellished dupatta can be worn with a plain kurta and slim fit bottoms, with your traditional accessories like jhumkas and maang tikkas. This combo can be an alternative for a silk saree on wedding.
There are Indian jumpsuits in monochrome with minimal embellishments such as thread or cut works.
Crop, short and cape style tops are good with dhoti or palazzo pants. You can add on a cape jacket with the dhoti pants. Palazzos can also be paired with heavy embellished peplum tops.
Indo-western fusion gowns, as well as pre-stitched saree-inspired gowns are also in season. Pair it up with your elegant looking heels.
Men’s fashion
Coming to men’s fashion, the same sophisticated colours are trending here as well. Sherwanis and Kurta pajama sets are in.
A light dupatta with a well stitched kurta paijama, paired with sandals, jhuttis or chappals will be quite simple and elegant. Sherwanis are better for a close relative’s wedding, which can give an even more sophisticated look. You can pair it up with dhotis as well.
Bandhgalas can give you a kinda different touch on a wedding day. It involves a well fitted coat with a trouser and an optional jacket. These are adorned with collar embroideries, square pockets and glittery buttons. A bandhgala suit can be paired with dhotis as well as shararas.
Shalmon highlights a common mistake that wedding guests make. “ Wear neither a tight nor loose fitting garment. So that you'll be free to move or do anything comfortably.”
One important pointer, however: Make sure you avoid the colours of the bride, groom and the bridesmaids, as a courtesy.
