A FAIRY-TALE WEDDING FOR OUR INDIAN PRINCESS

Every girl grows up dreaming of a fairy tale wedding. Fortunate are only a few like Anushka, whose dreams actually come true.

In India, marriage is one of the biggest events in a person’s life. It is not just the marriage of two people, it is the coming together of two families, their customs & traditions and a lot more things.

And so was the case with Anushka’s wedding – different careers, castes, family backgrounds, customs, traditions, and the list goes on.Anushka has beautifully balanced this amalgamation during her wedding and it is evident everywhere – beginning from the choice of the venue, an Indian wedding in a delicate vintage setting within the whimsical Tuscan surrounding, the different ceremonies carried out and her choice of dresses for each of theoccasions. In spite of being a celebrity actress, Anushka chose to dress like a Punjabi bride, exhibiting her respect and acceptance towards Virat’s family traditions and customs.

From an Image Consultant’s perspective, it is a classic case of how beautifully the concept of 5Ws (what, who, where, when, why) have been applied. There is perfect harmony during the entire event – the venues, the décor and surrounding, and accordingly,the choice of dresses for each of these ceremonies. The elements of design like colour, shape, texture and pattern of all the dresses have been carefully chosen so that they converge with the respective surrounding. All the dresses have been designed to give Anushka the desired traditional India bride look who respects family traditions and customs. The design elements of all the dresses are different and vary according to the event –like a purely traditional look for her reception in Delhi which would be attended by Virat’s friends & family, and a shift to a more glamorous look for her reception in Mumbai, which would be attended by her friends from the Bollywood fraternity. Effort has been taken to address the minutest design detail, giving the effect of the desired fairy tale wedding.

Let’s take a closer look at entire Wedding event:

The Engagement
Anushka’s engagement was a close knit affair and was attended by close family members and friends. She wore a burgundy velvet saree, hand-embroidered with pearl and zardosi work to give her a traditional look and wore a blouse with a deep cut to blend in a modern look. The saree was complemented with a diamond and pearl choker, with matching studs. The dark coloured velvet fabric was chosen to add visual weight to Anushka’s tubular body and also as the ceremony was in the night and the weather was cold. She wore red roses and a round bindi to maintain the Indian-ness of her dress.

Mehendi
The mehendi ceremony is usually in the forenoon and all friends and family are in the mood for some grand masti. Yellow and orange, both bright colours, are symbolic with Mehendi and are considered auspicious by Punjabis. Anushka also chose to wear these bright colours. She selected agraphic fuchsia pink and orange lehenga skirt, hand-printed and hand-embroidered with gota and marori, paired with a cobalt blue top with bright coloured florals printed on it. As the dress was bold and dominating, she tried to balance her look with only a pair of jhumkas and a nude palette for her make-up, with sleek hair. This was a day for fun and masti and her entire look truly complemented her chirpy-perky personality.

The wedding
It was a perfect fairy tale setup – vintage architecture within soft and mesmerising Tuscan surrounding, simple yet elegant and regal. The perfect setting for the Princess to be carried away by her Prince Charming. Sabyasachi chose the perfect colours for her wedding lehenga – blush pink with tropical flora and fauna, hand-embroidered in silk floss, colours carefully chosen so that Anushka just blends into the mystical surroundings rather than standing out. Her beautiful jadau jewelry handcrafted in uncut diamonds, pearls and pale pink spinel and fresh hydrangeas sported by her in her hair, complemented her lehenga and added to her elegance. Anushka continued with her nude palette and wore dewy make-up, light gloss on the lips and a simple bindi. There was complete harmony with the décor and surroundings. It is every girl’s dream to look like a princess, and looking like a princess she was.

The Reception
As the reception was to be held in Delhi, Virat’s homeland, majority of the guests would be Virat’s family’s friends and relatives. The extended list included the Prime Minister of India and other Politicians and Dignitaries. Being winter, the weather was expected to be cold. Keeping all this in mind and as a gesture of respect, Anushka chose to go with a traditional bright, red Banarsi saree with golden bootis and a heavy, golden border. To complement the saree, she wore a royal-looking, uncut, diamond choker and a pair of heavy, gold jhumkas.The combination of her red bindi, sindoor and the mogras in her hair gave her the look of a traditional bride.

Mumbai Reception
Anushka chose to make a shift from the so far traditional look to a more glamorous yet delicate look for her Mumbai reception. This is her playfield and the reception was to be attended mostly by her friends from the Bollywood fraternity. She wore a smoky grey lehenga with hand beaten silver thread, textured sequins and cut organza flowers assembled on an embroidered tulle base. Her dupatta, worn on one side and cinched inside a belt, displayed her sporty personality.
The theme of the entire marriage revolves around tradition, respect and values and follows a minimalistic approach. Looking great is not about being loud and bold. Rather It is about creating a harmonious approach between all the key elements. Or, as we say in Image Management, creating harmony by applying the principle of the 5 Ws.

The views expressed in this article, are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of IMPA