Wedding looks for the modern Indian Australian bride
It’s wedding season, both in India and Australia. If you are having an Indian wedding, chances are you will want to go all out and wear as much desi clothing and jewellery as you can. After all, living in Australia, it’s unlikely you do this often.
Whether you are wearing a sharara, a lehenga, a ghagra choli or a stitched up sari, you can choose your makeup and hair style to give you a unique look that enhances what you are wearing. Just be sure to choose colours that complement your skin tone. Here are some options to dress up differently for your big day.
Paint it red
Nothing works better for Indian complexions than the colour red. We associate it with bridal outfits, the sindoor, bangles and, for a dash of glamour, red lipstick. The latter works especially well if you have the confidence to carry off a bold look and it works wonders for your lips and face.
If you have an ultra-sexy ghagra, cut like a fishtail that enhances your silhouette, you can go for kohl lined eyes and red lipstick. Go easy on the other aspects of makeup – keep the foundation and blush to a minimum in shades of nude, avoid eye shadow if you can and leave your eyes with thin layers of liner and mascara. Gold accessories will work better than all things red. Keep your hairstyle simple.
Vintage class
For many of you who migrated decades ago, some heirloom saris may still be part of your treasured possessions. If you want your daughter to wear one of your evergreen saris that never go out of style, then you can go for a vintage look. It can even be a look for the mother of the bride or for a bride who is in her 30s or 40s.
Bring out the Banarasi, the brocade, or the Kanjivaram saris, some antique jewellery or your grandmother’s pearls and you won’t need much else. For the makeup and hair, go with brown and shades of maroon that complement the sari. Here you can have a classic chignon or a low bun with flowers in your hair. Mascara to highlight the eyes and very subtle eyeliner should suffice. You will look like someone who comes from an Indian aristocratic family.
Blushing bride
If you are young, madly in love and having a full on Bollywood wedding, the sky is the limit! You can go with an Indo-Western fusion outfit, one that can be broken up to use as separates as well, or something more traditional. If you like the glam look, you can wear loads of blush, big dangling earrings and a dramatic neckpiece. An updo, where your hair is tied up in a carefully cultivated messy look, plus eyeshadow in shades of coral and brown can make you look like a Bollywood diva. Go easy on the bangles if the function is a sangeet and there is a lot of dancing involved.
Bronzed beauty
One of my favourite looks for brides, bronze and its associated colours work with most Indian shades of garments – especially jewel tones. Bronzer on the face and neck will make your skin have an iridescent glow and will work perfectly with the jewel or metallic colour of your outfit. Think emerald green, deep gold, copper and a shimmery olive to give you maximum impact with the bronzer. Avoid too much gloss on the lips and wear subtle lipstick and eyeshadow. Let your skin be the star of this show.
Indian all over
If you loved Aishwarya Rai’s look in Jodha Akbar, a very popular look with brides in India, then embrace it and go all out. You can wear the maang teeka on your centre parted hair, the nose ring with the chain, which gives you scope to highlight your eyes, and polka diamond jewellery or statement gold pieces. You can even experiment with your bindi and earrings if you want to keep the neck piece simple. An elaborate bindi and jhumkas will add a dash of oomph to your outfit. Red or maroon ghagra cholis or lehengas with loads of surface embellishment, or deep wine or burgundy work best with this look. Match your lipstick to your outfit colour and go with black liner and gold eyeshadow. You will look like a princess for sure.
These days, dressing up for a wedding is a fashionable affair. If you feel you can carry it off, go for it. But make sure you are comfortable with what you are wearing because that will determine how good you look in your pictures!