Indian Wedding Celebration - YouLookFab Forum

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Indian Wedding Celebration

mummy2thea

On the advice of Angie I have reposted this under a different title. I posted yesterday about an event I have been invited to hosted by an Indian family my husband knows. They are having a big post wedding celebration joint 50th anniversary party, from what I know of them they are very wealthy and host the most fabulous parties so this leads me to ask what on earth should I wear?

Dressing

15 replies

Latest reply was from elpgal

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Do you have a written invitation? If not, you might want to call the hostess and ask her what the dress code will be. What a fun event!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Where are Vani, Shana, Sihaya and Maya!

Maya

Veteran

I am here. Indians ALWAYS throw spectacular parties. I haven't been to any weddings or wedding-related activities (shocking, I know), but I have been to enough parties to know that they really pull out all the stops when it comes to celebrating.

I'm guessing a lot of the attendees will be wearing traditional garb, which obviously you won't be wearing, but you can still pick up on some of the same ideas. I would opt for some sort of cocktail dress and incorporate a good dose of color, shine, glitz and glam. If that makes your head spin, small doses is fine and you don't have to do all of it at once. I don't know how conservative this family is but I would avoid wearing white, which is the color of mourning. I might also be inclined to stay away from red, which is the equivalent of white in a Christian wedding. I could be wrong about that since the cultural context is different. Maybe they don't really care as much as we do?

You will definitely want to be dressed up though. A black dress is fine but I would look for something with sheen or some sort of textural interest, and don't be afraid of bold jewelry.

Shana, Vani, Sihaya: Correct me if I'm wrong or add as needed to. This is just my instinct.

Ruchi

I agree with Maya that a wedding is a big celebration in the Indian community.I would also suggest a cocktail dress but would avoid white and black.I assume that most attendees will be wearing silk and jewellery so it will be a good idea to wear bold accessories.I feel that rather than opt for a jazzy dress(which might otherwise might not of much use),play up with accessories.I feel that whatever you wear,the key is to be confident.And do enjoy the food,that is always the star at at any wedding.Its been a long time since I have been to a wedding and would love to attend one too.

Maya

Veteran

No black Ruchi? I wouldn't have known that. Good call.

shana

Veteran

Indian weddings/celebrations are usually pretty glamorous - women pull out their best silks, fancy jewelry (and loads of it), lots of bright colors etc. For Indian parties, we throw out the whole "just wear 1 statement piece of jewelry" rule and will wear a huge blingy necklace with huge blingy earrings, arm loads of sparkly bracelets, rings etc!

Like Maya said, white would be a no no. Black can sometimes look dull in a sea of gorgeous jewel tones but it would work if it was glam - maybe sequins? I wore a black sari to a wedding a couple of years ago but it was heavily embellished and of course I piled on the jewelry too so a world away from a simple black sheath dress!

Personally, I have always found it odd to see westerners wearing a sari or traditional Indian garb - it just seems so costumey sometimes. Sorry, I don't want to offend - just share my opinion.

If you're not keen on buying something, I would just wear the fanciest dress you own and like Ruchi said, focus on some glam accessories - maybe some sparkly chandelier earrings, bling embellished sandals etc.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I echo what the experts say. I have been to a few Indian celebrations and they are KILLER. So festive, colourful and fun - and the food is sublime. Pull out all the stops!

mummy2thea

Huge Thank You to you all for the great advice. I think I will look for a simple dress but in a bright or jewel colour and then focus on accessories like you all said. Thanks again for taking the time and sharing your thoughts

Vani

Veteran

Here's Vani reporting from Vegas on her phone! M2T - ruchi and shana and right on. All Indian weddings are huge parties. And women show up at all different levels of dressiness. Simple outift (usually Saris) with blingy statement accessories, or heavily embroidered/brocade etc. outfits. Black is usually a no no since it is considered an inauspicious color; plain white outfit is a no no since it is sort of associated with widowhood (ugh). You couldn't go wrong with an outfit in jewel tone/bright color(s) with great accessories. Have fun at the wedding and most of all enjoy the food! I just hope there is enough variety of not-too-spicy food

RoseandJoan

Veteran

How about that gorgeous navy satin dress you posted a couple of months ago, with your gold shoes and a statement multi gem necklace?

mummy2thea

That might work indeed RoseandJoan, I am a little scared off the shorter length of this dress for this occassion. Does anyone know if above the knee would be inapropriate?

Ruchi

Hi mummy2thea,the description of the outfit,that RoseandJoan gave,sounds good.when i read that its a navy satin dress,I immediately thought of pearls..I am a pearls gal).I would not worry about the length of dress being above the knee as Indians are not so conservative when it comes to dressing up for a wedding.

mummy2thea

Ruchi thanks for the advice I will ty the navy dress on again and work out what accessories to go for. I could always get a nice pasmina or likes as an extra cover up if I feel I need it.

Sihaya

Veteran

M2T - I echo what the others have said. I am Indian but recently attended an Indian event where I dressed in western outfit. I knew that I wouldn't be able to match the other Indian women in their fancy saris and gold so I decided to stand out. I was the only woman there in western clothes and got a lot of compliments on my outfit. One thing I"d add is that gold is the jewelry of choice for most Indians, especially at weddings. So if you want to blend in, wear gold - lots and lots of it. If you want to stand out, choose something else. I like the idea of having a statement piece. Keep it clean and crisp and distinctive. This should be a lot of fun. I hope you have a great time. I'd love to see pix.

elpgal

Veteran

Sihaya, Can you share what you wore? I often find myself in the same predicament; my meagre Indian wardrobe is no good for weddings and parties.