Main shaadi karungi, toh Kareena wala designer lehenga pehenke karungi; warna dulhe ko tata bye-bye kar do: These iconic lines from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) may have been from a pre-pandemic era, but they are still relevant. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic turned the big fat Indian wedding into small-scale celebrations, the love affair between brides and their extravagant bridal coutures is still very much alive, reveal designers.
Despite the shorter guest-lists and curbing of other spectacles, brides are not shying away from spending a fortune on their wedding outfit. “We are in a business that deals with happy occasions. The desire to look best is on the D-day is not comprised at all with the pandemic raging. Even with 20-50 guests, and virtual celebrations, they [brides] still want to look their best as special moments are captured through videos and pictures,” says Rahul Mishra, who feels that intimate weddings are blessing in disguise.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, the outfit options for the blushing bride ranges from dramatic coutures to lightweight ensembles, points out designer Gaurav Gupta. He says, “Weddings choices are very individualistic. While some brides want lavish or dramatic outfits, other brides want a simpler lehenga or a saree gown for low-key celebrations. It depends on the personality of the bride.”
Recalling the last year, designer Anju Modi feels that while there had been a change in bride’s preferences in the very beginning of the health crisis, budgets have gone up again now. She says, “Brides became a little conscious and did not really know about how much to spend back then. But now they really want to spend whatever they can. Rather a little more!”
Echoing similar thoughts, designer Varun Bahl shares, “Be it the perfect colour, the perfect silhouette or the perfect fit, the bride makes sure she looks phenomenal on her big day, just the way she imagined it. There isn’t a shift in terms of the spending power.”
However, designers observe a shift in terms of the designs that brides want to buy today. Bahl says, “One is moving away from the traditional red and maroon. It’s time for prints, pastels and new silhouettes instead of heavy embroidery and jewellery. They want outfits that can be worn again and they can restyle them.”
