How to Choose Indian Bride’s Saris

Ask an Indian bride or her Maid of Honor how easy or hard it is to choose wedding saris and most certainly they would tell you it is the toughest part of wedding preparation for a bride’s party. Is it really so? We will see in this article.

Customarily, an Indian bride receives six saris in all, each of them designated to be worn on particular occasion that demands a certain protocol; and out of which five will be from the groom’s parents and the other one from her parents. If this is confusing enough, read further.

The first sari that the bride wears is the one presented to her by her parents at the first leg of the wedding whose rituals run till kanyadaan. This is because; it is assumed that till kanyadaan the bride still belongs to her family of origin and so the protocol. Immediately following kanyadaan, groom’s parents present her a set of five saris to symbolize the gesture they make her to welcome into their family. The top of the five should be worn immediately and till the end of all the rituals. The third sari is worn by the bride on the wedding evening or reception party hosted by the groom or his parents.

Now let’s simplify things a little further; all these saris are more or less based on red color or its shades although other brighter colors such as deep yellow or darker greens aren’t discouraged. The preference for red or any bright color is not customary but basically because of their beauty. The first three of the six saris are for wearing on the day of wedding, so they got to be of top design and value with attaching highest importance to the second one. What follows next is the choice of border and pallu colors besides choosing the patterns of zari embroidery. Normally Zari will be in silver and depending on individual budget you can have gold embroidered saris. Where and what pattern you need for zari is for individuals to decide. There is another kind of exquisite saris called Pitambara which is not so popular these days because of their bulkiness. Pitambaras are completely made from gold without the touch of silk or any other fabric. However, the first and the third saris can be lesser to the second one in comparison.

The last three saris are for wearing on subsequent days to temple and other closing functions. Obviously, the choice depends on your budget and thorough knowledge of protocols.