This is the latest in the wedding trends – bride tying the knot, wearing her mother’s wedding sari. If you remember, Priyanka Gandhi wore her mom’s wedding sari when she married Robert Vadhera and so did Sania Mirza during her nikaah with Shoaib Malik. More than the heirloom significance, it is the emotional quotient (which is the main reason why heirlooms are so valuable) that makes a bride feel beautiful, loved and truly cherished. In words of a bride, who had worn her mother’s bridal lehenga for her saat-pheras,
“It felt blissful, as if I was encompassed with magical love and warmth, quintessentially associated with mother.”
The Rationale behind the Trend
Surely you do not consider being overly emotional about something as a sign of rationality, right? Well, if you consider it from a practical point of view, it is a good idea to wear your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding sari for your own marriage. This is so because you will barely get another occasion to wear the new, heavily embellished lehenga, that will probably cost you a small fortune.
According to a survey conducted by a lifestyle magazine, more than 36 percent of the women surveyed admitted that they have not used their bridal lehenga ever since they got married, while only 44 percent said that they have worn it again on a couple of occasions. Reason? Well, they have either outgrown the lehenga, or the sari is so heavy that there was hardly any occasion of such great significance that would call for an encore.
Redesigning the heirloom Bridal Attire
Redesigning your mother’s bridal dress is a good way to sync it with current fashion standards. Use your designing skills, consult latest bridal fashion magazines or take the sari/lehenga to a designer and seek his/her opinion. Richly embroidered borders, Swarovski stones and tassels are highly in vogue. You can redesign the heirloom dress with these or you can transfer the rich zari work booties to an entirely new fabric medium.
Mix and match also help in inspiring a contemporary look. Shipra, who got married in February 2011, discovered her mother’s wedding sari which very closely resembled the glaze tissue fabric, very much in fashion today. It had beautiful red and gold booties all over, encrusted with antique pearls. This, she reportedly combined with printed and shimmery zamavar lehnega skirt in hues of red, designer blouse with delicately embellished sleeves and a very heavy, matching odhani that heightened the overall effect quite well.
Jewelry
Look for matching jewelry amidst the heirloom jewels or you can get your own jewelry designed to complement your re-styled wedding attire. Kundan, meena, jadau and other traditional precious stones set in gold or yellow gold look really elegant. However, that doesn’t mean you can discount off the magic of diamonds, emeralds or sapphires. Pick up anything that makes you look demure yet ravishing!
Check How Much You Spend
Decide how much you want to spend on redesigning of the precious family treasure. It is hardly wise to spend a colossal amount of money in restyling an existing piece, when you can very well get a new one done for the same amount. Agreed that it is the emotion that matters, but you should not forget the cost part also.
