The one shade that has historically been associated with being a desi bride is the iconic red. From sindoor and choora to bridal attires, we often see this hue in various forms on a bride throughout her wedding celebrations.
However, recently, we have been witnessing new brides donning pastel and lighter shades, embracing the minimalist culture. And, without a doubt, these brides look distinctive, beautiful and elegant.
However, I will always be a ‘team red bride’ and the reason behind this choice is my gorgeous mother and her thirty-seven-year-old wedding pictures!
I have seen my mother and my naani wearing stunning sarees ever since I was a child. The subtle hues and materials like kanjivaram and banarasi, made a home in my heart. I would always ask them to drape it on me and I would act like a bride.
Nevertheless, I decided to be a red-hued bride when my father showed me his, and my mother’s, wedding album. The fourteen-year-old kid in me knew that she wanted to wear the exact same lehenga as her mother when she becomes a bride.
For her wedding, she went for an iconic red-hued lehenga in tissue material. The outfit had golden leaves work all over it and had a golden gotta patti lace kinari to make it more majestic and stunning. She also wore a red organza chaanchi saree over her head to finish her bride attire.
Her clothes were matched with some evergreen golden-hued accessories, like a necklace, earrings, sheesh-phool and a nath – which she has kept with her to date.
Her all-red attire motivated her cousins to wear similar colored lehengas during their wedding celebrations, and, I’m glad she wore it because she looked like the most beautiful bride that I have ever seen.
Don’t get me wrong, I love light-colored clothes too. I wore pastel outfits during my sister’s wedding functions and I loved it to no limit. However, there’s something different about the red color and brides.
To me, the red color is associated with love and faith, and what’s better than wearing this colour, to showcase this warmth, other than our most memorable and special celebration?
My mother, who got married about four decades ago, has kept her wedding lehenga with her because it’s a testimony of her love and transformation. I, someday too, desire to own a similar symbol of love.
This is an ode to all the mothers, especially mine, who have been an inspiration for their children on several occasions by just being their stunning selves.
