Picture this - a popular number from the early 2000s is blasting on the speakers. The setting is perfect - an old dilapidated yet charming fort somewhere in Rajasthan, the setting sun, the hum of the winds against the fort. The Emcee is forcing everyone onto the dance floor. Close friends and family who have seen you do your thumkas as a little girl are looking at you and wondering why someone who is always the first one on the dance floor is hesitating today, on her special day! But they cannot tell, even from your evidently shivering body, that you’re chilled to the bone - partly because of the wedding jitters but majorly because of the cold cold air. The warmth of the bonfire is just not reaching you! You would rather dash to the room, turn up the heater and curl up under a comforter. It is not just brr cold but brrrrrr cold, with every passing second feeling like a millennium!
The backless cholis and sleeveless blouses seem like a fashion faux pas in this weather but what is the alternative even? Shroud yourself in a shawl? Sigh!
Nahin yaar! You should not have to resort to something boring. We have some chic picks so that you can slay the winter wedding style without dipping the grace quotient! Read on.
- Prim and practical blazers for the win: Choose a fun contrasting full-sleeve western-style blazer or a heavily embroidered desi jacket. Open front if you are wearing a saree or a close-neck one for a lehenga with a dupatta. Go for waist-length or go all out and do a long-line jacket - it’s totally your call. Should we make it sweeter? Choose a story to tell through your embroidery. Maybe of how you met your spouse, for instance. It sure will be adorable and personal and would definitely take the attention away from stray thoughts like ‘why is the bride being a tad prudish with her attire!’
- Cozy capes will save you… and the day: This is another hack to be a superwoman on your super day! Choose a thick and warm material for the cape that can cover your shoulder and chest, like velvet or brocade. Adorn it with beads, zardosi, just about anything at all to make it shiny and sparkly, like the night sky under which you’d be dancing away with your forever partner. The other slightly conventional thing to do is bring back the shawl but style it well with some local kaarigari. Nothing like showing off your roots when you can. And shawls offer a pretty massive canvas!
“Are you wearing tights under your sharara?!” Why? Because no one will ever find out! So go wild; have fun with thermals or fleece tights to keep you warm under the beauteous sharara, the Indian bottom wear that is flattering to all body types! You could also wear these under a ghagra or lehenga. Who’s looking anyway?!
Some basic but important gyaan:
Be very smart about the material you choose for your winter wedding attire. Go for something thick and warm so that you’re naturally shielded from the biting cold.
Also, layer up! Pick cuts and silhouettes that flatter you and keep adding layers. You could also keep a few things on standby, should the evening get unbearably cold! The only thing to keep in mind, however, is that while layering, you don’t end up mixing fabrics that could get stuck in the embroidery or beadwork. That could be quite a disaster!
Get married (or get your friend married) in style while not compromising on comfort. Don’t let a small detail, like a single-digit centigrade on the weather app turn it into a wedding nightmare! ;) Stay stylish!
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What are your hacks to slay the winter wedding style? We know you have a few up your (full) sleeve. DM us on Instagram - @tabakashi.
We’re dying to know! So don’t leave us out in the cold! ;)
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Inspiration for images:
https://www.shaadisaga.com/blog/bollywood-looks-for-winter-weddings