The big designer rush for weddings

It’s that time of the year when the wedding invites outnumber the bills. From the panicky bride to the hyperventilating parents and the guests want to look their best and they don’t mind blowing up their savings to put their best foot forward. And the city doesn’t disappoint.

From Sabyasachi to Tarun Tahiliani, one doesn’t need to fly out these days to buy a designer ensemble. One also saves on the hefty deposit one has to give when seeking an appointment with the designer.

Designer Man-ish Malhotra was recently in the city to showcase his bridal collection at Anga-sutra and Hyder-abadis made the best of the opportunity to meet him. Many were spotted chatting with him, asking for advice and placing orders. “My schedule is packed till December because of the weddings. It’s hectic. A lot of the orders that have been placed are going to take a lot of time... for instance one dupatta might take three months to make.

About this season’s trends, he adds, “Kashmiri and mirror work is a hit. Shades of red are making a comeback. In other cities, people are experimenting with off-season colours like grey.”

Keeping up with Manish’s A-list designer tag, many of his pieces are not less than a lakh. The prices can also go as high as Rs 12 lakh. In fact, on an average, a sangeet-lehenga can cost upto Rs 4 lakh. The expenditure for a few kurtas and lehengas could cross Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Smita Shroff, owner of the designer store Elahe, says shopping for weddings begins a week before Diwali. “Previously, the notion was that the Hyderabad stores got clothes that were not in. But not anymore; people say that the clothes here are even better than the ones in other cities,” says Smita, who believes that 25-30 brides-to-be shopped at the store. “Spending power differs from person to person; some might want to buy clothes worth Rs 20 lakh and others less than that. Some people also splurge and wear a dress only once, whereas others buy clothes so that they can repeat their outfits,” she adds.

Cherazad K. Pestonji of Anahita says this season is most-awaited. “People save up and generally have a budget. If it’s a sister or cousin getting married, the budget is higher. Planning begins months in advance, especially in the Marwari community wherein plans are made six months in advance.”

“A wedding usually comprises five functions and people want a unique look for each one,” she adds, “It would be difficult to explain how much the average spending of a Hyderabadi is. They might pick one outfit this week, then four more from a different store next month.”