A billionaire princess and two Bollywood divas took the world by storm with their choice of bridal trousseau. From Isha Ambani’s white and gold sari, Deepika Padukone’s Kanjeevaram drapes and Priyanka Chopra’s neo-fusion red lehenga, Deepa Kalukuri writes about the new bridal trends taking over 2019!
The year 2018 was all about celebrating love, erasing borders and bringing families together for some of India’s most popular celebrities. Fashion lovers and brides-to-be got a chance to experience the extravagance of Indian bridal couture and the revival of many forgotten Indian weaves. Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone chose multiple designers to bring together their pre-wedding and ceremonial wardrobes. Isha Ambani chose to honour her Gujarati roots by adding a dash of tie-and-dye prints to her wedding looks. Here is a closer look at the stories behind these pieces of art that will continue to trend and inspire the brides this New Year.The year 2018 was all about celebrating love, erasing borders and bringing families together for some of India’s most popular celebrities. Fashion lovers and brides-to-be got a chance to experience the extravagance of Indian bridal couture and the revival of many forgotten Indian weaves. Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone chose multiple designers to bring together their pre-wedding and ceremonial wardrobes. Isha Ambani chose to honour her Gujarati roots by adding a dash of tie-and-dye prints to her wedding looks. Here is a closer look at the stories behind these pieces of art that will continue to trend and inspire the brides this New Year.
Priyanka Chopra
If there’s someone who was born to shatter stereotypes, it’s Priyanka Chopra! From winning the Miss World title at the tender age of 18 to wooing the audience with her performance in many box office hits, PC has proved she’s here to stay. Her arrival in Hollywood not only brought her international fame but also introduced her to the man she fell head over heels in love with. Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s appearance at the Met Gala in 2017 paved the way for one of the most talked about relationships in Hollywood and Bollywood tabloids. The couple took no time in telling the world how much they were in love and celebrated their union in a three-day ceremony in Jodhpur from November 30 to December 2.
Having got engaged just four months before their nuptials, planning such a big fat wedding wouldn’t have been an easy task. Ralph Lauren, the living legend, made an exception and designed the couple’s wedding trousseau for the Christian ceremony. It was a special collaboration, keeping in mind that he designed their first joint appearance at the Met Gala. Priyanka’s 75-feet-long veil is one the world has seldom witnessed. The strapless gown was embellished with mother of pearl sequins and was embroidered with words such as ‘Family’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Compassion’. To add to the wow factor, on Nick Jonas’ double-breasted tuxedo was embroidered the words, ‘My Jaan’ (Jaan, in Urdu, is life). Now that’s going to go down as one of the most beautiful memories for the couple. Take a cue from the personalised embroidery and add a touch of individuality to your bridal outfit.
Paying an ode to the city of colours, Priyanka Chopra’s Mehendi outfit was quintessentially Jodhpuri. The multi-coloured organdie ‘leheriya’ pattern lehenga was designed by duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. The addition of florals by Havovi enhanced her look. One trend that’s not going out of bridal fashion this year is floral jewellery and floral hair accessories. The designer duo also created the ‘desi girl’ sequins sari that Priyanka wore on her Sangeet night. Reports suggest that she performed for the popular Dostana song that inspired her look.
Having chosen different designers for her ceremonies, Priyanka reached out to the man who is most loved for his bridal wear, Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The fusion lehenga was designed to celebrate the diversity of the couple. Hand-embroidered organza flowers, Siam red crystals and French silk floss knots were added in layers across the clothing. According to the celebrated designer, it took 100 embroiderers from Calcutta and 3,720 hours to create the masterpiece. Priyanka also chose custom-made uncut diamond and emerald jewellery from the Sabyasachi Heritage collection. Her Western red veil was a tribute to the unique love story of the couple.
Deepika Padukone
We’ve seen her rock some heavy-duty bridal wear in her last release Padmaavat. Deepika Padukone looked royal in her many looks from the movie, and it’s safe to say that in real life she went a step ahead and chose different styles and patterns for her bridal trousseau. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone tied the knot on November 15 in Lake Como, Italy. The couple gave a generous glimpse into their nuptials and we got a better look at the bridal couture.
For her Konkan wedding ceremony, Deepika wore a Kanjeevaram brocade sari gifted by her mother Ujwala Padukone. The sari was designed by Angadi Galleria, Bengaluru. It featured ‘Gandaberunda’, a two-headed mythological bird representative of the bride’s state of Karnataka. Deepika wore South Indian temple jewellery and a head stole designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. For her reception in Bengaluru, she chose another Kanjeevaram sari from the house of Angadi Galleria and teamed it with Zambian emerald jewellery set custom-made by Sabyasachi. Like we said earlier, florals are not going out of bridal fashion anytime soon, as Deepika chose to adorn some fresh Jasmine flowers for her South Indian ceremonies.
Deepika chose to wear a pink Anarkali dress by Sabyasachi for her Mehendi and a traditional red lehenga for her Anand Karaj ceremony. A part of Sabyasachi’s India Revival Project, Deepika Padukone’s red lehenga was hand embroidered with gold zari into peacock patterns. The heavy zari border was embroidered with wedding mantras in Sanskrit. You can never go wrong when relying on traditional Indian weaves and customs.
The couple threw not one but two wedding receptions in Mumbai, and Deepika showcased her bold choice by sporting the Dil-Guldastha Sabyasachi lehenga inspired by Frida Kahlo. She wore a stunning red sequined gown by Zuhair Murad for her Bollywood reception and coupled it with a breath-taking, sleek sheer veil and smoky eyes! If you’re looking for a mix of traditional and red carpet–fused bridal look, DP’s bridal trousseau is your go-to guide!
Isha Ambani
When India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani’s only daughter, Isha Ambani, tied the knot with businessman Anand Piramal, the world turned to India in awe. From Beyonce’s private concert at the Sangeet to Hillary Clinton’s moves at the wedding, this was the biggest celebration in recent times. Isha Ambani took inspiration from her mother Nita Ambani’s choice of designer, Manish Malhotra, for most of her bridal looks. However, for her wedding, she wore her mother’s wedding sari from 35 years ago. The Bandini sari was revived by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla for the phera ceremony. With many choice designers at her disposal, she opted for sentiment over trend for her bridal outfit.
Isha Ambani wore a sequined pink and silver lehenga for her Mehendi ceremony and a gold-embroidered lehenga for her Sangeet ceremony, both designed by the family’s go-to designer, Manish Malhotra.
No matter what these celebrity brides chose to wear, they kept alive their family’s heirloom and traditions, blending them in with modern trends and weaves. Add a touch of individuality to your bridal trousseau and get set to celebrate the most glamorous day of your life!