#FirstPerson: How I Created The Lehenga Of My Dreams Without Breaking The Bank

Remember the girl who used Pinterest to plan her very perfect Goa wedding? Well, it seems that besides Pinteresting her wedding, she also designed her lehenga in her own way - with a twist. Here's her story - about her dream lehenga, her dilemmas and why she almost chose a Sabya. 

Every girl has a vision of a dream lehenga for her wedding. And not just the lehenga, she has a vision for her wedding and must have already planned it a million times in her head. I’m no different, I had a fair idea what I wanted for my lehenga and what it will take me to get there. But there is one small thing to take into consideration here - I’m not the conventional bride. Heck, am not a conventional, traditional, go-with-the-flow kinda gal. I’m the rebellious sorts - that’s me being me, married or not. So when it comes to finding my dream lehenga, it’s tougher.

The wedding on the other hand, was a tad easier because my husband too didn’t want a typical traditional affair - so we had a free run and did what we wanted to. Parents were supportive and of course, there were tiny battles every now and then, but we got “our wedding” in Goa in the end. The lehenga on the other hand, was my burden to bear.

THE PRESSURE: INSIDE & OUTSIDE

Advice is so conflicting that we often don’t know what to believe. And everyone does have an opinion on what I should wear - right from (nonsensical) traditions, myths and beliefs and tips from the internet, some useful and some, not.

Having said that, I started store hopping, day to day, week to week, sourcing and researching all the stores that came my way from Juhu to Bandra and Town all over Mumbai. Online, Instagram, Pinterest, new designers, old designers - you name it, I saw everything and knew their collections by heart.

Being a designer (specialising in Indian and Bridal for both men and women) and a stylist myself, the pressure to design my own outfit was a bit much to handle. Me, on the other hand wanted to buy a designer lehenga. Sabyasachi, to be precise. Being a hippie at heart (more like a wannabe gypsy) I always found it easier to design edgy stuff than go looking for it.The only traditionally Indian thing about my wedding, could be my outfit, so Sabya it was.

THE TRAVAILS OF A SABYASACHI LOVER

I had all these thoughts in my mind, can I afford it? Is it really within my budget? Does it make sense to spend so much on an outfit if I wear only once? Is it practical, is it value for money? Typical Want Vs Need dilemma.

Long story short, I made a trip to his iconic store. The decor at the store was stunning, beautiful art works, stunning wallpapering and chic furniture. And the clothes, they failed to make me fall in love. WHAT?? Not because they weren’t great, but because I just couldn’t find that one piece that I loved. Then I thought, “What is wrong with me? I had been stalking his Instagram account for months, loving all his stunning work and here I am, not wanting to pick up anything!"

Then the bitter truth hit me. It’s only when I went to the store did I realize that as lovely and picturesque as they are, mesmerizing to be precise, they were just not my style. The hippy in me wanted to be the wild child at my wedding, comfortable and happy and not feel like a christmas tree in my petite frame.

I realized another truth: I didn’t want a Sabya lehenga per se but just wanted to own a sabya outfit, sometime. but this was not the time (ironically).

THE PATH I TOOK

My friends had been telling me all along - design your own outfit. And I didn’t even consider it. I was already designing my husband’s outfits, his friends, my friends, moms, dads, brothers and his fiance's outfits...phew! I was already drowned in work and I knew I had taken on too much but it was too late to back off! Getting someone else to make my outfit for me seemed like a great idea at the time and this was a sign. I was designing my own wedding lehenga now and somehow it felt right.

My mehendi, sangeet and reception outfits being fun, funky, edgy and unconventional. So that means, I need to keep my wedding lehenga a bit traditional and add my own twist. One thing I was sure of was the colour. I knew I was going to wear red (never owned a red before), and after months of lusting over Raw Mango’s Benarasi collection, I knew it was going to be a Benarasi. But it also needs to be simple and most importantly, wearable again and again. No way was I going to lock up mine in a box forever!

BENARASI BABY

So began round two of wedding lehenga shopping, this time I was hunting for Benarasi fabric - it's rich and classy tones calling out to me. Fabric shops all over Mumbai were scoured and researched. In the middle of all this I chanced upon an exhibition of Indian Weaves in Juhu and decided to go check it out with a friend. There were a lot of exhibitions these days and it’s difficult to choose which ones to go for as they all seem similar. And trust me, the key is to go to the ones that happen just twice a year or so, they tend to have a good screening of designers and collections and lots of variety.

The exhibition Pause for a Cause (Not your typical bridal exhibition guys) really stood out. What I loved about it was the way the exhibition was planned - according to Indian states and regions and the crafts and work they specialise in. It is here that I found my Benarasi Lehenga fabric, red and gold, intricate weaving with small hints of orange and pink. It was meant to be, made for me and the connect was instant.

This being an exhibit ,the proceeds of which support initiatives in education, health and community development, so I was also doing a good deed besides just spending money on my wedding lehenga!!!

I asked my mom to get here as soon as possible and all this while, held on to the piece like a hawk, like my life depended on it. She loved it the instant she saw it and she ended up buying a saree for herself at the same stall and just like that, both of us were sorted.

DESIGNER DUTIES

Now came the designing part. The fabric itself was so rich that I didn’t feel the need to do any embroidery. Since the fabric was already woven in kalis with intricate designs in red and gold, I decided to add a contrast colour piping to the hem. No embroidery highlights even - just plain solid silk.

Now for the blouse, I knew I would be wearing a satlada so the blouse had to be designed accordingly. It had to be simple and elegant in the front so as to not take away from the jewellery and also be comfortable bending without being too conscious. So I went for a broad boat neck and elbow sleeves to show off the beautiful Benarasi brocade and a lovely open back.

Only once the outfit was ready, I decided to work on the dupatta. I did try a Benarasi dupatta, but it was heavy and covered up the rest of the my outfit. So I went for a net one - as sheer, light and transparent as they come. The soft net fabric was filled with intricate flowers in pink (that matched the pink of the lehenga) with flat gold sequins. I dyed this fabric to match the red of my outfit and my dupatta was ready. I gave it the same finishing as the hem of my lehenga with a contrast finish.

I completed my wedding outfit with a pearl and kundan statement neckpiece, a Satlada and my mom’s vintage jewellery.  I also complimented the neckpiece with embroidered bangles.

Since I wanted to dance at my baraat (note: rebellious) instead of waiting coyly for the husband to arrive, I went for simple gold heels that I could be in all day without any after effects.

Wearing my own design at my wedding felt nothing short of a dream come true. It was about going back to my Indian roots but showcasing it in a modern way. But most importantly, I could wear my outfit separately too in the future. Ideas were swirling in my mind - I could make a simple anarkali and use the dupatta. I can add a cape or a crop top or even a crisp white shirt if I want it to be funky (read - Payal Khandwala). I can also wear the choli as a saree blouse in the future. Win-Win-Win!!!

After all this, I have to say this. I wasn’t a Sabya bride but I was a pretty one nonetheless, in my own creation.

Final outfit Price: 65K.