Great wedding Shopping Destinations in India: PART I

Engaged and all set to tie the knot??? Have the money & the time to go across country to shop for you trousseau? Then this article and many more in this blog is going to be an interesting read.

This is the first article in this series. First because, my country is so full of splendor and great things across the length and breadth of its boundaries; that there cant be just one destination to mention.

We start with my favourite shopping destination and heart of India- DELHI. The Capital of the country definitely has a lot to offer- whatever your budget maybe. Delhi is definitely shoppers' paradise.

Home to many of India's leading and most talented fashion designers such as Tarun Tahillani, Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal, Ashima & Leena, Aki Narula, Suneet Verma, Ranna Gill, JJ Valaya etc as well as has a lot of wholesale places across city.


Delhi is also home to some of the most well established clothes shops and jewelers in India, which have reinvented themselves over generations and are nationally if not internationally renowned. In recent years a great range of affordable but none the less, fashionable boutiques have comeup all over Delhi, catering to a variety of tastes and budgets. These are most prevalent in the Karol Bagh, South Extension and Greater Kailash areas.


For those with less in their pockets, Delhi has Chandni Chowk- where you can start from your wedding invite, go on to jewellery, then to cosmetics, shoes and finally the wedding day attire. Lajpat nagar, rajendar nagar and Karol bagh are also great for A to Z budget wedding shopping. from clothes to jewellery. Shoes to hand bags. Cosmetics to luggage you can buy everything in the shops/ markets of these areas, and that too within a great budget!


Certain areas of Delhi, notably GK, South Extension, Hauz Khas Village, Khan Market showcase some of Delhi's finest boutiques, but remember they will burn a hole in your pocket! Since you wont get married everyday, so its well worth it! If you are shopping in this section (South Delhi) do visit the designers mentioned above as well as don’t forget ushnakmal, meena bazaar, Nalli, Regal shoes, Da Milano, OOgaan, CTC Plaza, Design Vault etc.


However, if you are a more budget conscious shopper, do visit a few shops in these areas to get an idea of the latest styles and designs and then try and find similar items (which certainly are available) in the more affordable, but none the less chic shops located in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Chandni Chowk etc.


MUST DO:

You must research before your trip, to get an idea of the colors, styles and designs of outfits that are in and goes with your taste and budgets. Browse through wedding magazines, surf the web and ask your friends and family for their input.
Whilst shopping in India, it is very easy to get overwhelmed and confused by the amazing variety of items that are available. Make a list of what you like in each shop so that you can make an overall comparison and shortlist what you finally want to buy.

Bridal Trends 2008

As the wedding season opens with a bang in India, would be Brides and their friends & family are going berserk putting together the best trousseau/ wardrobe and other essential items together. In this Blog, I bring forward a few tips and trends for putting together your wardrobe and other essentials for the upcoming season as well as life ahead.

Let’s start with the trends in-terms of your wardrobe. For all you Fashionistas wondering what colors to choose from, here are a few tips. The Hot colors this season are jewel tones and metallic colors like Gold, Silver, Copper, Bronze, Emerald Green, Tanzanite Blue etc. Pastel shades continue to be popular as well. Apart from these, people are opting for unusual combinations like honey brown with onion pink, coffee with copper sulphate blue, grape green with wine / burgundy, carrot pink with chocolate brown, purple with parrot green etc. Brocades, hand woven Benarasi georgettes, georgettes, chiffons, soft nets and textured or plain velvet are the most demanded fabrics this season.

When it comes to jewelry, fusion of the traditional with modernity is ‘The-in-Thing’. For example, the age-old bagdi is been given a new look by use of diamonds; Baaju also is coming in some very modern designs. Polki- meena, Thewa and Jaddau continue to be popular. Sleek diamond jewelry is very much in demand and hyderabadi jadaai polki sets are very popular this season.

For home furnishing and accessories, silverware and silver artifacts are really in. You must also consider buying a few laakh/Laac items like mirrors, laakh photo frames, laakh table pieces etc.

This season, ‘The minimalist look’ is completely out and ‘The Opulent look’ is ‘The Look’ for interiors. If you have the affordability, then having a piece from around the globe is a must. So, you can put that Persian rug and use that Burmese Buddha statue as a corner piece and add the Indian silver artifacts, Pakistani onyx table pieces, the glass items from Florence and those beautiful cut glass chandeliers from Belgium all at the same time in your living room. Jute furnishings are very hot! Silks as usual still stay popular for drapes and bedspreads, colors like Gold, white, beige are very in.

When it comes to crockery, silverware and bone china still rules-the-roost. The terracotta earthenware is also becoming very popular for serving Indian cuisine. Steel with matt finish and cast iron utensils remain popular for daily usage. Melamine is not recommended. Use steel or porcelain instead.

I hope, with all the above details shopping will be a easier and less cumbersome experience! Congratulations on the upcoming wedding and happy shopping!!!