Multifaceted India: Types of Indian Wedding Dresses

Indian wedding dresses have heralded the world over for their unique designs, different bridal adornments that go with it, and rich and vibrant colour schemes. India is a country comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. A country with a variety that is not just limited to culture, language and cuisine, the Indian wedding dresses from each of these regions are something of a wonder in itself. Although it is not possible to list every kind of Indian wedding dress within the boundaries of a concise article, we will definitely overview a few from each region.

1.Kashmiri Wedding Dresses:

The traditional Kashmiri wedding dress is referred to as the Pheran; it is a mixture of both Iranian and Indian wedding dress. The bottom half of the outfit is a ghaghra and the top half is like a knee-length kameez with dazzling Ari embroidery work on the edges. The bride is required to put on an extravagant headgear, which is known as the 'Tarang'. The ghaghra or lehenga has heavy zari embroidery and to add to the already exuding beauty of the attire is heavy gold jewellery that is worn by the bride.

2.Bengali Wedding Dress:

As tradition goes in Bengal, the bride is meant to deck herself up for the big day in red Benarasi silk saree that has beautiful zari embroidery work all over and gold jewellery. The bride also has to wear a tiara made out of Styrofoam, which is called a 'mukut' in the local language. Another beautiful aspect unique to Bengali weddings is the application of the Chandan design all across the forehead until the cheeks and the red dye Alta on both the palm and feet.

3.Tamilian Wedding Dress:

A Tamilian bride is required to wear a Kanjeevaram silk saree in any bright colour with intricate and exquisite zari and buta embroidery work. The jewellery of the bride is mainly concentrated around the neck and the hair. Another very important piece of jewellery is the 'Jadai Nagam', which symbolizes the cobra and stands for a woman's fertility. This very elaborate piece is worn on the braid. The bride also wears a 'Maangtika' on the forehead and an 'Oddiyanam' or a belt around the waist.

4.Gujarati Wedding Dress:

A Gujarati bride wears a bridal saree called a 'Panetar' for the wedding. This saree is usually red and white in colour and the pallu of the dress is placed on the front. Aside from jewellery, which is a combination of gold and kundan, an embroidered dupatta covering the head completes the look of the bride.