5 things no one else will tell you about choosing your bridal lehenga/ saree!

"This is the latest design madam, just came in yesterday- what a brilliant choice you  have" says that wily shopkeeper as you try on the 195th outfit for your wedding . "Look Look  , everyone in the store is admiring you" or our favorite line heard often in those by lanes of Delhi stores "Madam iss dress me toh you look like Kareena Kapoor" . Okay well, that's fine and everything but here is what no one tells you about choosing your outfit that you REALLY need to know.

Photo by The Wedding Crasher★ 4.8

1. The inner facing of your dupatta matters A LOT : Okay, so see that dupatta border, turn it over to see the  fabric behind the border- pay attention to that color. Reason: When you wear a dupatta, the inner facing is what is going to be touching your face and in most cases, what is visible in photos as well. ALWAYS pick a bright color for that facing because  a darker color like midnight  blue tends to make your face look dull, versus a cheery red, orange or yellow is an instant face brightener.

Photo by Photo Diary . From Anita Dongre Red Carpet Bride shoot

2. Your blouse and dupatta are more important than your lehenga skirt: The general standard in shopping is to choose a skirt, and then think about blouse and the dupatta. But think about all the pictures of brides you see on Wedmegood- how many of their skirts are even visible? Most of the times your photographer is going to be clicking you waist up so makes sense to pay attention to your blouse and dupatta.

3. The bigger your size, the smaller the motif on your lehenga: If you are a heavier size, look for delicate , small embroidery patterns scattered across as opposed to big sized , large motifs. They draw too much attention to themselves and accentuate your size . While smaller, delicate motifs balance out your look and make you look slimmer. Same way, if you are very frail then look for a more bold pattern that doesn't overwhelm you.

4. Match your lehenga to your jewellery, not the other way around: This may sound strange because most people are used to buying the outfit and then purchasing jewellery to match it. But think about it- your jewellery is a heavy investment AND its going to be worn more than your lehenga AND its going to last all your life and be given to your future daughter/ daughter in law. Give that priority and choose a necklace you absolutely love. (You can tell your jewellers not to add the hanging beads till you buy the lehenga in case of color changes).  When you do it the other way around you end up in a situation where  you already have to fit your necklace shape to a pre-decided blouse neckline and color. Plus there aren't too many jewellers with a huge variety of necklaces anyway so you will be bound to compromise.

5. Do NOT try on dresses higher than your budget: Here is the thing, in most cases the more stunning dresses are always going to be higher than the amount you want to spend. While most brides love to walk into a Sabyasachi or Manish store just to "TRY" on what looks good on them, do understand that when you do go dress shopping you will unconsciously compare everything you are wearing to how you looked in those high-end designers and well, you might end up thinking that nothing is good enough and now you have to just buy whatever is the best of what you can afford. That's not a feeling any bride should be having .

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