Top Indian bridal trends this wedding season

Designers are giving a playful twist to classic wedding wear

It’s the season of weddings in India. The period between October and December usually sees big, fat desi weddings across the world every year. Yes, things are different this time with what Covid keeping us on tenterhooks and calling for muted celebrations and smaller gatherings. But that hasn’t stopped the brides and grooms from putting their best fashion foot forward. They are giving a playful twist to the classic wedding wear.

Experts from the bridal industry in Bengaluru share with Metrolife, the fashion and makeup trends in vogue this wedding season.

Heavy embroidery

Fashion designer Shloka Sudhakar has seen an increase in demand for classic zardozi and heavy zari embroidery lehengas. “This season I’ve used heavy embellishments with various shaped stones and pearls. More on the lines of exaggerated embroidery. Pearls are something I’m using a lot this season. The focus this year is creating something heavy yet elegant as many brides are picking heavy embroideries and experimenting with exaggerated embellishments,” she tells Metrolife.

Exaggerated sleeves

If traditional outfits and silhouettes aren’t your style, then experimenting with the sleeve is a great way to add that air of luxury to your outfit. “Many retro trends have made a big comeback. Ruffled and puffed sleeves are very ‘in’ currently,” says Shloka.

Shades of pink

Colours such as pink are in vogue for some years and designers expect the
trend to continue this year too. Photo credit: Rithika Ganesh

Designers expect the pastel colour trend to continue this year too and also the spectrum of pink. Rithika Ganesh, owner of Rithi – The Design House is expecting to see a lot more pink outfits among brides this year. “The colour looks gorgeous on every skin tone and has a different charm to it. It’s versatile and has a great range — from hot pink to dusty pink and pastel pink. The list goes on,” she says.

Moody makeup

Moody tones featuring mauve and rust are currently popular among brides, says makeup artist Lubna Malik.

“These shades bring a bit of edge to simple nude lips and smokey eyes. If you’re normally one to don metallics for night outs, try these tones in matte for your wedding and they’ll look far fresher beneath your veil and bring out your prominent features,” she adds.

Icy hues

Both with makeup and fashion, icy hues and cool tones are among the biggest trends this year. Be it a morning or evening function, the trend can be worked into any outfit. “If you have a daytime function, you can keep the icy tones subtle and add a touch of softness to your look. For an evening reception, a silver-grey look will be great,” says Lubna.

Retro prints

Almost every bride wants to experiment with something bright and colourful for either their mehendi, haldi or sangeet and this is where retro prints play a part, says Shloka.

“Playing with stripes and florals is a big trend for mehendi looks. Retro polka dots too are making a comeback during haldi events along with embroidered bell-bottom pants paired with a heavily embroidered blouses for other pre-wedding events,” she adds.