On a beautiful July evening in 2010, actress Nusrat Imroz Tisha was spotted as a stunning bride. Not to mention, it was her wedding day and what made her stand out was her bridal look. She chose to wear a white jamdani shari with a thin golden border instead of a heavier shari like a red Banarasi or Katan.
There was nothing artificial about her bridal makeup. She wore base makeup with smokey eyes, so her makeup didn't seem overdone. Her glass bangles (Kacher Churi), along with the gold jewellery, drew everyone's attention. Everyone was taken aback by Tisha's traditional yet unique wedding attire.
The people of this subcontinent recognise warm hues like red and maroon as colours that symbolise marriage and love, which are associated in our culture with fertility and wealth. The traditional bridal embellishments of a Bengali woman are also said to include a red Banarasi shari with silver jari work, heirloom gold jewellery, tilak on the forehead, and traditional bridal buns with gazras on top. But time has passed. So what once surprised people has now become a running fashion.
Leaving behind the maximalist view, the era of minimalism has begun, causing waves of change in wedding fashion and traditions. However, the primal urge to be yourself on your big day never changes. The year 2022 is ending with the season of weddings gripping the country. As for wedding fashion, bridal fashion takes centre stage in everything.
Trendy or traditional?
Colour preferences for clothing have shifted recently. Red is usually the colour of choice for weddings. Shades of peach, mint green, light, buttercup yellow, powder blue, and silver are also popular now. In unison with that, the designer of 12 Clothing Ltd., Mushfiqur Rahman Tonmoy, said, "Our young generation is quite bold now; they never stop experimenting with their wedding outfit. Therefore, despite the elders' societal disapproval, the trend of wearing other pastel colours instead of red has begun."
About the attire, Banarasi and Katan Silk weaves have always been popular for the occasion because of their excellent craftsmanship and gilded highlights. Still, occasionally Jamdani, muslin, and silk sharis with intricate sequin, mirror, and metal beadwork are seen to take their place. Along with the traditional sharis, hand-embroidered lehengas with heavy jari work and modernised bridal motifs are also on trend.
"The bride has the option to personalise her outfit, whether she chooses to wear a shari or a lehenga," Tonmoy continued, "Instead of buying various designer dresses at sky-high prices, many wear outfits they make themselves at relatively low cost. In that case, bear in mind that if the dress has a light shade, then the bridal Orna should be vibrant to bring out the colour, and vice versa."
Millennial brides have a significant role in shaping this new wave of bridal design. Two things are at work here. For starters, brides are now actively involved in the dress selection process, expressing their personal preferences through it. Second, they prioritise comfort and ease.
Shaharin Amin Shupty, a feature writer for an English national daily, reminisced about her wedding attire, saying, "I've always wanted to feel like myself in my wedding dress that will highlight my individuality. So, I decided on sky blue Jamdani since it might not have been doable in red."
"Another reason for choosing blue is that it is the colour of my favourite Disney character, Elsa, whose determination constantly motivates me. Therefore, I couldn't think of a hue more fitting for my wedding dress." Even the colour scheme of her wedding was blue and white, in keeping with the bride's love for the colour.
A modern twist with chic blouse
Switching up the blouse is a good strategy to make your wedding attire stand out. By drawing influence from Pakistani and Indian cultures, one can adapt the blouses and tops to the traditional Bangalee fashions. Our second bride, Mahbuba Rahman Bushra, a City Dental College and Hospital student, expressed such an urge, "Basically inspired by Pakistani bridal fashion, I customised the tops of my lehenga. I made a long blouse that resembles the kameez used by Pakistani brides with their lehengas."
Her tissue-based full-sleeve blouse had heavy embroidery work on it. Along with full sleeves, other trendy items include boxy crop tops, cape blouses, puffy sleeve blouses, ruffle sleeve blouses, off-shoulder blouses, and tasselled lehenga blouses. To modernise your bridal look for winter, add a designer blazer or cropped jacket to the shari and accessorise with a belt made of sequins and crystal beads around the waist.
When bridal Orna becomes a conveyer of emotion
Brides in the Indian subcontinent often wear an Orna to complete their bridal look. The bridal Orna is mostly made of muslin, silk, velvet, and chiffon. But what distinguishes it from other pieces of clothing is a new trend that allows the fabric to be the emotional conveyer. It all began in 2021 when Patralekhaa Paul, a Bollywood actress, paired her lehenga with an embroidered Orna with her declaration of love inscribed in Bangla. Gen-Z has since chosen to follow this trend. One such newlywed bride is Sejuti Mehzabin, a resident of Tejgaon, Dhaka.
She was saying how she decorated her Bridal Orna, "Many people write different verses in Sanskrit and Arabic on their Orna. But I wanted this special piece of cloth to carry memories of a special time. And it had to be written in Bengali. So I chose some lines from the song 'Tumi Je Amar,' which Nanabhai used to sing to us in childhood. I ensured his presence through this gesture."
For Sejuti, this song brings back memories of her late grandfather. Similarly, she thinks that all those who write something in Orna have some spiritual connection with the inscriptions.
Right ornament that suits your personality
Gold wedding jewellery is thought to both adorn the bride's attire and symbolise wealth. However, this attitude has changed. "I don't intend to purchase gold jewellery at such a high cost for a short wedding ceremony. Also, gold jewellery has an ostentatious aspect that doesn't appeal to me and that I believe is the root of many family feuds. I prefer to spend on memories, which won't necessarily be valuable in the market but will complement my attire and preserve my glimmer as a bride," said Nazmun Tabassum Mayeesha, a Content Operations Expert at Grameenphone.
At the wedding, she donned a red Jamdani with silver jewellery. Dressing up with such minimalist jewellery is in trend these days. Today's brides also wear silver, Jaipuri, Minkari, white gold, city gold, and many kinds of stone-studded, cut diamond, and Multani jewellery.
Makeup for your big day
According to an internationally certified makeup artist Esratul Jahan Shova, owner of Glam Up by Esrat - a beauty saloon and makeover gallery, there is a significant correlation between the bride's attire and makeup.
"Earlier, vibrant outfits were worn with thick makeup. The blending of traditional and contemporary trends continues in bridal makeup today. If the eye makeup is multicoloured, light mauve or brownish lipstick should be applied to the lips. If the dress is a light pastel colour, bold lipstick, a smokey eye, and a little heavier makeup may be used. Winged eyeliner can be used to create a retro look."
As the attire and makeup work together to complete the bridal appearance, she advised maintaining a balance between the two. "A variety of hairstyles for short hair with volume are also popular right now, so the hairstyle is not solely restricted to the hefty bun as it was in the past. Brides of today love to add curls and flowers to their hair."
It used to be a discreet habit of brightening the bride's skin by severely hiding it with makeup. Because of a change in public opinion, natural colours are preferred in today's fashion. Many individuals also dye their hands with only Alta, much like adorning hands with full-arm henna.
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