A cousin called me up recently, and boy oh boy, was she annoyed. “What’s with these anarkalis, man? That’s all everyone wears all the time. They don’t even suit my body! Only slim and tall women can carry off anarkalis, but that’s all that seems to be available for the entire Indian population to wear. Aren’t there any other options?!”
Oops. Since I love anarkalis, that’s pretty much all I talk about here on the blog. And since I don’t see the “trend” fading away any time soon (or ever?) that’s all I stock up on. My wardrobe has only 3 things to wear to Indian weddings - a dozen anarkalis, handful of straight cut suits, and saris I wear thrice a year. Those lehengas? Yeah, well, I’ll re-use them when my waist size is back to 26. Which might be never…*gazes longingly into the distance remembering my pre-wedding body* *wipes tear off cheek*
3 years back, there weren’t a whole lot of other options available for the Indian girl. But cut to 2015, and the world is your oyster, baby. Capes, shararas, palazzos, crop tops, dhotis, cigarette pants, jackets, high-low kurtas, drapes - the silhouettes are endless! So whatever your shape, size, preference, here’s a definitive guide to ALL the outfits you can possibly wear to weddings (that are NOT anarkalis!)
28 Outfits you can wear to an Indian wedding that are not anarkalis
#1 Capes
The hottest new trend on the block, capes were brought into the spotlight as serious wedding-wear when Shahid Kapoor’s bride, Mira Rajput, wore an Anamika Khanna cape for their Delhi Reception party.
Shahid & Mira what they wore to their Delhi after party Reception | Shahid Kapoor Mira Rajput wedding #ShahidkiShaadi
Rahul Mishra, Jayanti Reddy, Ridhi Mehra and Taniya O’Connor are some of the designers who’ve created lust-worthy capes.
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
Cape with Lehenga
Cape with Dhoti Pant
Long Cape with Churidar
Cape dhoti pants - Prathyusha Garimella - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Cape with Palazzo
Cape palazzos - Ridhi Mehra - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Cape with Gown <3
Cape gown - Deepankshi and Reena - What to wear to an Indian wedding
#2 Dhoti Pants
The dhoti is back in style, and what a comfortable style it is! Sonali Gupta and Ridhima Bhasin are two designers who’ve done a great job with the silhoutte, giving wedding guests and brides some fantastic designs to pick from.
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
Dhoti with Kurta
Dhoti with Peplum & Crop Top
Dhoti with Jacket <3
Dhoti with jacket - Aharin India - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Dhoti with Cape
Cape dhoti pants - Ayinat by Taniya O'Connor - What to wear to an Indian wedding
#3 Dhoti Saris & Pant Saris <3
The dhoti style has found itself a place in sari-drapes as well! And of course, Sonam Kapoor is our go-to guide on how it’s done right.
#4 Crop Tops & Skirts <3
Crop tops that double up as blouses, and maxi skirts that are used as lehengas - multi-tasking fashion is officially here. And I predicted it almost a year ago ;) These are PERFECT for a bride to wear to her Mehendi (see more Mehendi outfit options here) or for the bridesmaids to wear to smaller functions. Eshaani Jayaswal and Ridhi Mehra make my favourite crop tops, while Mogra, Sonali Kalra Ahuja and Nitya Bajaj have created some fabulous maxi skirt designs!
Mehendi outfits under 25k Eshaani Jayaswal floral crop top with Nitya Bajaj maxi skirt blue skirt and top on mehendiMehendi outfits under 25k floral print yellow maxi skirt Sonal Kalra Ahuja ivory embroidered crop top Tisha Saksena what to wear on mehendi
#5 Long Kurtas & Lehengas <3
I was not particularly a fan of this style, till I saw Kareena Kapoor smash the look in this wedding guest avtaar recently. No dupatta, 1 statement necklace, and a clutch that complements - she nailed it!
Kurta lehenga - Payal Khandwala - Kareena Kapoor - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Another way to wear it, that’s perfect for Delhi’s winter weddings, is this styling with a dupatta (as seen at Sanjay Garg’s show) -
Kurta lehenga - Raw Mango by Sanjay Garg - What to wear to an Indian wedding
#6 Kurtas with Palazzos & Shararas
Have a kurta you love, but sick of pairing it with the cliche churidars and salwars? Experiment with palazzos and shararas, as we move on from slim-fit to wider pant-leg silhouettes. Amrita Thakur designs the best ones :)
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
Palazzo with Long Kurta <3
Kurta with palazzos - Anju Modi - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Palazzo with Short Kurta
Kurta with palazzos - Zoraya - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Palazzo with High Low Kurta
Sharara with Long Kurta
Sharara with Short Kurta
#7 Jackets
Fitted, flowing, flared. Short, long, sheer, open, closed. Doesn’t matter how you love your jacket, because it’s all good. This is definitely my absolute favourite style, and I’m particularly a big fan of pairing these babies with cigarette pants (Anita Dongre & Bhumika Sharma), and the bomber-jacket with lehenga look that’s been on the runways this past year (Rahul Mishra & Monisha Jaising).
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
Jacket with Cigarette Pants <3
Jacket with Dhoti Pants
Jacket with Palazzo
Jacket palazzos - Ridhima Bhasin - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Jacket with Sharara
Jacket sharara - Anita Dongre - Sonakshi Sinha - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Short Jacket with Lehenga <3
Long Jacket with Lehenga
Jacket lehenga from South Ex
What I wore to my Reception :)
#8 High Low Kurtas
Basically, a kurta with an asymmetrical cut in front. High-low has been an international trend, and just like capes took on an Indian avtaar seamlessly, asymmetrical designs moved from dresses to kurtas.
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
High Low Kurta with Salwar or Churidar
High Low Kurta with Dhoti Pants <3
High Low Kurta with Palazzos
Jayanti Reddy#9 Draped Kurtas
If you detest anarkalis, and are bored of your straight-cut suits, a draped kurta is a great way to liven up your wardrobe. It may sound like a vague term, but it’s a great option for anyone wanting to add an interesting piece to your wedding wear closet. The designers that got me hooked onto drapes? Tisha Saksena and Saumya & Bhavini Modi.
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
Dhoti Drape Kurta <3
Draped kurta jacket on celebrity - Tisha Saksena - Alia Bhatt - What to wear to an Indian wedding
Assymetrical Drape Kurta
#10 Kurtas with a (small) twist
If you don’t want to steer too far away from, what I like to call, “normal clothes”, you can use a few little details to add a slight twist to the normal kurta.
How you can wear this trend to a wedding
Long Kurta with Side Slit
Short Kurta with Detailed Pants
Payal Singhal
Super Short Kurta with Salwar
Similar to short kurtis and patialas.
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Did I miss out on a silhouette?
Leave a comment about what you love to wear to weddings!
More on Fashion for Wedding Guests:
What some real guests wore to real weddings
An incredibly useful personalised guide to help your guests figure out what to wear to YOUR wedding
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