Gown are the days

These days, wedding is hardly a one-day match but more akin to a ‘Test’. There would be events before and after the big day, and each one is thematic and celebrated vigorously. It requires a lot of time and effort for brides to choose the right outfit for each occasion. A prominent trend is that young girls do not want to drape a saree on their wedding day celebrations. Instead, they are moving on to the comfy and chic lehengas, gowns and Anarkali. Call it the invasion of western and northern styles if you want but the trend is catching up quickly.

“Youngsters are not used to wearing sarees. That is one reason why they go for other dresses for pre and post wedding events,” says Diya, designer at Salt Studio, Kochi. “Nowadays, most people are obsessed with wedding themes such as Bollywood theme. They need costumes that would match the theme. Dresses like lehenga fit into that. Some go for customised gowns with embellishments. Also, now wedding celebrations include dancing, and bride and groom also take part in it. They could move easily in gowns and all.”

Actor and anchor Rosin Jolly, who got married recently, is a representative of the new generation. She went for traditional Kerala style saree for madhuram veppu (ceremony when the bride and groom are fed a sweet dish).             

Her choice was a north Indian style for her engagement. Marriage, on the other hand, was in western style. For the reception, she was in saree. “A lot of experiments are happening in marriage outfits. But, most youngsters try not to meddle with sacred traditions,” opines Rosin, who was the host of a wedding related show on a TV channel.

“I had two options for marriage — saree and gown. It was my dream to get married in a gown. The choice was left to me and I happily opted for the gown,” she recalls. “One concern with gown was that some churches in Kerala have restrictions with regard to gowns. They do not allow sleeveless and deep-neck gowns. Also, I decided that I would not add the train to the gown. While hosting the wedding show, I have come across many brides messing up trains. In western countries, flower girls and bridesmaids are assigned to help the bride with the gown. But, here things have not evolved that much.”

In Rosin’s opinion, getting the right gown is not an easy task. “Don’t buy a gown just by seeing the advertisement,” she cautions. “Choose one that goes well with your body shape. There are many boutiques out there to guide you. They will brief you about patterns. Try them, take photographs from different angles, and customise.  For my marriage, I wore an A-line gown.”

Television actress Meghna Vincent tried a fusion chattayum mundum for her engagement. They have modernised the traditional Christian attire by adding some trendy elements. “It was my sister-in-law’s idea,” says Meghna. “Marriage is every girl’s dream. She wants it to be unique. We also needed variety and hence chose the traditional chattayum mundum. Marriage outfit is yet to decide.”

But, we cannot say that saree is out of the wedding scene. “I have interviewed close to 200 couples as part of my television show. Even now people tend to keep costumes for the marriage day as traditional as possible. They experiment with occasions such as engagement, mehendi, sangeeth, and reception. I have met many brides who have chosen saree out of family’s insistence. Sometimes you will be surprised to see those who are trendy in normal life going traditional for their big day,” she smiles.  

Diya agrees. “Saree is still in use. But the frequency of using it has reduced. The intensity is not there. And, youngsters go for customised sarees. I have many queries for kanchipuram sarees in pastel shades and so I am planning to come up with a range in August. The Cape is also trending.” says Diya.