Most bridal dresses are destined to be relegated to some corner of the closet after they serve their purpose on the day of the wedding. But one bride decided to turn her wedding dress into a work of art by embroidering her love story on her lehenga. Still, Mumbai-based designer Kresha Bajaj insists that designing her own wedding lehenga wasn’t part of the original plan.
(Photo: House of Pixels)
“My designing style is more edgy than traditional, so I had initially decided to get my wedding outfit from some other fashion outlet instead,” she explains. However she was unable to find anything that resonated with her aesthetic sensibilities. Kresha also wasn’t excited about the fact that this would be the only one time that the dress could be worn. “The idea that I could never wear my wedding outfit again except for that one occasion was something that I didn’t like. In fact, you could even say that it was one of my biggest peeves,” she adds.
(Photo: House of Pixels)
She reveals that she was creatively inspired after watching the show Real Housewives in which one of the characters got her wedding dress framed. But her plan didn’t stop till there. “I decided the coolest thing would be to tell our love story through my lehenga,” she says.
(Photo: House of Pixels)
Her fiancé, Vanraj Zaveri, wanted both of them to wear outfits with a white and gold colour scheme. Although he had designed all her jewellery for the various functions, he was unaware of her grand plans for her lehenga. “He didn’t know anything about my dress except for the colour. He finally noticed the embroidery after we were done with the pheras,” she laughs.
(Photo: House of Pixels)
On the big day, her hard work for more than three months paid off. Their relationship milestones and cherished memories were all there – intricately embroidered all over her lehenga. The moment when her fiancé proposed to her, their wedding location and even dolphins – as protesting against cetacean captivity is a cause that is dear to both of them – were all beautifully intertwined on her outfit.
(Photo: House of Pixels)
“The base fabric of the lehenga is novelty silk. It’s actually what we use to make men’s kurtas,” she describes. “I particularly like its rich matt finish. In fact, both my lehenga and my husband’s sherwani were made from the same dress material.”
(Photo: House of Pixels)
Kresha now plans to frame her gorgeous lehenga and put it on display in her dressing room. Her stunning wedding dress has left many on the Internet impressed. “I have already started receiving many requests from couples who want something similar for their wedding. But these people aren’t just aiming to tell their love stories through their outfits. It could be anything that has special significance in their lives. Even the grooms are open to adding unique and personalised elements to their clothes,” she shares.
(Photo: House of Pixels)
