So you’re out shopping for your wedding, and you’ve bought almost everything except your bridal lehenga. And after visiting a number of designer stores and boutiques, when your eyes finally fall on just what you’ve been looking for, your excitement knows no bounds. With a wide smile plastered across your face, you frantically search for the price tag hidden somewhere between the gorgeous kalis of the lehenga. But when the plain white tag with that exorbitant number of zeros stares back at you, you quietly place the outfit back on the counter and walk away. But wait! Who said you can’t have it? No, we’re not asking you to exceed your budget and burn a hole in your pocket. Here are 8 genius way to customize your dream bridal lehenga to fit your budget.
1. Instead of opting for a heavy dupatta, add tassels and borders to a plain one!
Bridal dupattas are usually very heavy and account for a major cost of the lehenga. But heavy does not always mean gorgeous. Instead, go in for a plain dupatta with booti work and add some drama by opting for tassels or statement latkans on the border. If you’re planning on wearing two dupattas on your wedding day, you can always have a simpler one to go on the head and a more elaborate second dupatta. Not only will that balance out your look, it’ll even cut costs while being more comfortable. Here is a pretty red net dupatta that you can elaborate using tassels or a scallop style border.
2. If the skirt is heavily embellished, go for a simpler blouse!
The skirt of the lehenga is going to be more visible than the blouse. A lot of the work on the blouse usually gets hidden by the dupatta and so, is not very visible in photographs. If your lehenga skirt is heavily embroidered with lots of kalis, you can always opt for a simpler blouse to go with it. You can also add a statement layered necklace that’ll make even the simplest of blouse stand out.
3. Avoid embroidery and sequin work on the blouse back
An easy way to cut back on the cost of your bridal lehenga is to avoid embroidery on the back of your blouse. Most brides opt for a dupatta on the head that extends all the way down. In such a case, the back won’t really be visible. Avoid any sequins or embellishments on the back and let the flowers in your hairdo be the center of attention.
4. Let go off the extra borders!
Thick borders are all the rage. But guess what? Reducing the length of your border by just one inch can help you save a good 10K. And you really won’t notice much of a difference in the final piece. If your heart is set on a lehenga, a little snip in the border might help you fit the cost within your budget.
5. Opt for fabrics that require minimum work
If you’re getting a lehenga customized from scratch, printed fabrics are your best bet to reduce costs. Prints are not just a big trend this season, it’s also the easiest way to make your lehenga look heavier without actually spending money on elaborate hand embroidery. Brocade too is a great option as the weave itself lends a regal look to the outfit. Here’s a red printed lehenga that’d look great with subtle sequin work.
6. Do check out local showrooms and smaller designers too!
You might be surprised to know that if you surf the lanes of some local markets in your city, like Chandni Chowk in Delhi and Santacruz in Mumbai, you have very high chances of finding some gorgeous designs for half (or less) the price of a designer outfit. The brand doesn’t matter when it comes to your wedding lehenga, what matters is how it looks!
7. Try and source the material yourself
Nothing can be better than sourcing your own materials for the lehenga. You can hit the local markets to buy borders, latkans, tassels and other such stuff at reasonable prices. Sure it requires some effort but it’s worth every penny. If you or your mom have good knowledge of fabrics, you might want to source that yourself too.
8. Go for a plain skirt, if your blouse and dupatta are very heavy!
Just like we told you to go for a plain blouse with a heavy skirt, you can do the reverse too. A great trick is to add layers of can-can to the skirt for a voluminous effect. A kamarbandh is another great way to add some style to a plain skirt. Since the blouse is the one thing that you can pair with sarees later too, you might want to make it more elaborate.
