Resplendent Bridal Outfits from all over India

Weddings in India are huge, celebrated with great pomp and splendor. Although the official wedding ceremony is not so long, the entire celebration is spread over three days, integrated with various rituals and ceremonies! Known for the beautiful colors and lights, the charm of the Indian weddings is further enhanced by music, dance, decorations, love and laughter.

India is vast country, with humungous cultural diversity. Wedding ceremonies are different in each part of India- be it North, South, East or West! As you travel from one state to another, you enter a new zone of culture and tradition. While everywhere else in the world, brides are usually clad in the "White Dress", brides in India bear a colorful attire- and each culture boasts of a different bridal outfit! Let's take a look at the Bridal Wedding Dress from different parts of India:

THE PUNJABI BRIDE:

Hailing from the land of Punjab, this bride usually wears a beautiful red colored Patiala Salwar and Kurta adorned with gorgeous embellishments and motifs, while the head of the bride is covered in a heavily embroidered dupatta- thus completing the traditional attire of the Royal Families of Punjab.

The Choora (red and white bangles) and Kalire (a gold ornament that hangs from choora) are traditional to the Punjabi culture, with other ornaments like tikka, nath (nose-ring) and payal (anklets) making up the Solah Shringaar (16 adornments of the bride).

THE SINDHI BRIDE:

Sindhis are known for a lot of bling in their style and this is clearly reflected in their wedding outfits. The bride usually wears a Heavy work, embroidered Lehenga and a Chunari. The dress is usually designed in an auspicious color like gold, red or green or a combination of these colors.

Heavy gold jewelry complementing the Lehenga is commonly seen among Sindhi brides, with traditional Choora (bangles) in red and white combination adorning the hands decorated in henna- making her a center of admiration!

THE BENGALI BRIDE:

The Bengali bride is usually clad in a red, pink or maroon colored saree on her wedding day. The traditional saree is usually made with Banarasi silk, and has gold buta or zari work in it. Some brides prefer to have Kantha work in their sarees. These silk sarees are beautifully handcrafted with various ancient designs and prints.

With a lovely mukut (crown) on the head and the forehead decorated with a red-and-white dot design, this bride looks no less than a Goddess, in red andalta on her hands and feet.

THE TAMIL BRIDE:

This bride is clad in a Kanjivaram saree- beautifully woven in silk with zari accents. Known for their thick borders, the Bridal Kanjivaram sarees reign the different shades of rich silk- ranging from ageless colors like red, green, maroon and yellow, to pastels like baby pink and teal.

Bejewelled with gold and flowers, this bride is the cynosure of all eyes. Ottiyanam (a waistband) and Nethi are the traditional ornaments of the Tamil Culture.

THE MAHARASHTRIAN BRIDE:

The Maharashtrian Bride is clad in a green and yellow colored saree called "Nauvari"- a nine-yard long saree. It is draped in such a way that it resembles trousers, and does not require a petticoat to be worn underneath. "Mundavalya"- a unisex ornament made with pearls is tied across the forehead.

The Chooras (bangles) in the Maharashtrian culture are green glass bangles, which are worn in an odd number and a different number of bangles in each hand. The nath (nose-ring) is an important element of the bridal outfit, which is made with a rare pearl called the "Basra Moti".

THE KASHMIRI BRIDE:

The Kashmiri bride wears a traditional jazzy Lehenga comprised of a pheran, palav and lhungi embroidered with woven work, and paint. The head is covered with a Kalpush (a cap which is folded three to four times and is lined with cotton). Above the Kalpush, a white colored cloth called "Zoojh" is draped in layers, forming a "Tarang". The gold pendants attached to a gold chain, hanging from the ears called "Dejharoor" are traditional to the Kashmiri culture.

THE TELEGU BRIDE:

Telegu culture is an epitome of simplicity which is greatly reflected in their wedding culture.

The Telegu bride is generally dressed very simply in a beautiful Kanjivaram Saree- usually red in color, since red is considered to be a very auspicious color in the Telegu culture. The ornaments are generally in gold and pearls, and the makeup is kept natural- making the entire appearance very rich and elegant.

THE GUJARATI BRIDE:

The Gujarati bridal dress is different from almost all other bridal outfits, as this is not made in Silk, but in georgette material, with heavy embroidery and sequin work.

There are two types of bridal outfits in the Gujarati culture: The "Panetar"- which is a white saree with a red bandhini (tie-and-dye) border and the "Gharchola" which is a red color saree with bandhini motifs all over. The head of the bride is covered in a chunari and the jewelry comprises of gold ornaments, rings, payal (anklets), Bajuband (arm-band) and nath (nose-ring).