#FirstPerson: Here's How I Shopped For ALL My Designer Bridal Outfits Online

Now here is a bride who took full advantage of the internet to find her bridal outfits rather than settling for something available offline. Anubhi was an NRI pandemic bride who couldn't come down to India for her bridal shopping, so she did the next best thing- she browsed and shopped for everything online! And she picked up some fabulous designer pieces for her wedding, as you can see in her real wedding here! Yes, Anubhi picked 5 designer outfits for her wedding- all online! So we decided to ask her how she went about it, and she gave a whole lowdown of how it went down. So for brides who want to but are intimidated by online bridal shopping, this one's for you! Over to Anubhi now, who tells us all about her experience. 

Kartik and I decided to get married in October 2020.. and long story short like all other COVID brides we had to deal with accepting uncertainty with differing travel restrictions amongst the 4 countries our family lives in (UK, UAE, Singapore, India, and the US).  Living in London there are a few multi-designer stores here which I got the chance to visit, but the variety did not satisfy me!

Outfit 1: Pre-wedding event outfit by Payal Singhal

I started doing my research online, watched the Lakme Fashion Week online, attended the WMG Virtual Shopping sessions (where I discovered Payal Singhal up close- which I bought for my trousseau and wore at a pre-wedding event), and started following several Instagram pages of designers and MUAs. 

Outfit 2: Welcome Dinner outfit by Gaurav Gupta

Initially, we planned for our Roka in April, and initially, I contacted a stylist at Ensemble in India but was baffled by the options. My sisters and I noticed that Gaurav Gupta had also launched online and we instantly fell in love with how unique this outfit was.  The process was simple, I paid online and was in touch with a representative from Gaurav Gupta who helped me customize the blouse, with drawings and what measurements I needed which I took with a local tailor. The outfit arrived a month later and it fit perfectly. While my Roka was canceled due to COVID,  I eventually wore it for my Welcome Dinner and it stole the show. 

Outfit 3: Mehendi outfit by Mrunalini Rao

I spotted my Mehendi outfit as part of a campaign on Mrunalini Rao's page, I knew I loved floral hand-embroidered threadwork and fell in love with the colors on the beige base. We did a video call and someone in the store tried the outfit on for me! The purchasing process was similar to GG, through the online website.

Outfit 4: Wedding lehenga by Anamika Khanna

I wasn't a bride with a vision for my main bridal look- but I wanted it to embody my style; fresh, feminine, and delicate. I had already considered Anamika Khanna as a top choice and Shreya from the Calcutta store was in touch- she did a consultation of the kind of lehengas I liked on their bridal page and eventually, I loved this one and customized the dupattas for the day. It took a few months to have this delivered but in line with the dates we discussed - and again the fit was perfect as we did a video call for the measurements. 

Outfit 5: Customised Sangeet outfit by Manish Malhotra

My Sangeet outfit was a tough one having purchased 3 pastel outfits already- after a couple of weeks of indecisiveness I contracted a stylist- Rashi to help me buy my last outfit. Rashi went set up calls with several designers and coordinated the whole process, she went to the Manish Malhotra store in Bombay and tried on outfits for me. We eventually ended up customizing this Kashmiri lehenga, using a color chart on video, removing the blouse sleeves, and increasing the number of Kalis and can-can.  The outfit arrived a month before my wedding.. and the blouse required minor alterations.

Outfit 6: Customised Haldi outfit 

My haldi outfit was customized by my aunt, we wanted something Persian-themed to go with our Haldi vibes and used our family heirloom gota on the dupatta. I loved the Fooljhadi x Qbik embroidered jewelry and it completed the look!

Can't Make It To India For Bridal Shopping? Try WMG Virtual Shopping Service!

Looking for more gorgeous bridal wear online? Don’t forget to browse and shop from our exclusive WMG Gallery!

ALSO READ: 10 Rules That You Need To Follow While Buying A Lehenga Online!