Dear Rabia,

There are a number of ways you could drape the dupatta. You could either tuck it in on your waist on your left side, take it over your head and then either leave it loose to hang or pin it over your right shoulder. You could also drape it so that you pin it over your left shoulder either back to front or front to back and then over your head and let loose or over your right shoulder. Finally, you could also take one end of it on your left wrist and then over your head and pinned over your right shoulder going forward.

Dear Susan,

You could do any bright color. Stay away from a red or a very bright pink or orange since those are the traditional bridal colors and you would not want to take away from the bride. Also try to avoid white and black since a few of the Hindu cultures (Punjabis and some Gujratis) discourage the immediate family wearing these colors and consider them inauspicious.
You could ideally do a saree, which would be most elegant. If draping and carrying a saree is a problem, you could either have the saree pre-stitched or do a nice dressed up suit. Have a lehnga as your last choice as they are more suited to the younger lot.

Dear Mekhla,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. For a wedding saree you could go with a crepe or a woven georgette (georgette brocade). The most traditional would be a pure silk, however a silk tends to make you look bigger than you are, so be a little cautious with it. In terms of work I would definitely recommend a gold (antique, if you prefer) zardozi. You could add a little color to the work and possibly some kundan to accentuate it. Since you are going with the traditional red and the saree, this would complete the traditional look.

Dear Shivani,

June is a beautiful time for a wedding and with your complexion you should either do a pastel color (especially if it is an outdoor, daytime wedding) or a deep color (deep red or rust). As for material, it really depends on the cut you pick. If you prefer a more tapered cut (which is very popular now), a heavier fabric like brocade or a raw silk dupion or even pure silk is good. For a flowier cut, a georgette, chiffon or crepe is good.

Dear Tammy,

Congrats on your wedding. Multi-cultural weddings are the most creative since you have so much room to blend both cultures. For a Muslim ceremony brides typically wear lehngas, shararas or sarees in pastel colors. Try all three out to see which one is most flattering and comfortable for your body type. You could always do either one with a veil or in an ivory color to blend a traditional Muslim outfit with a wedding dress. As far as jewelry, a neckpiece, earrings, bangles and either a tikka or a jhoomar for your head would be traditional. Heavy jewelry would be as important in your ensemble as your outfit so do prioritize it.

Dear Sheetal,

Congrats on your wedding. Having someone else shop for you is an experience to always be weary of. Clothes look very different on the rack as compared to when you put them on. The safest buy your mom can make for you is a saree. If she does buy you a lehnga, make sure it’s an inch or two big and long rather than small or short because that would be a problem. Also, make sure she takes with her samples of colors that suit you.

With regards to the fishtail, you certainly have the height for it but it is the riskiest cut to wear for anyone with a larger lower body. I would definitely recommend you not to let her buy you one unless you have tried the piece before. Even with the traditional cut there are options you can try or maybe you could try a godet skirt. You are welcome to look at our website www.shehnaaiusa.com for an idea.

Dear Vanita,

Congrats on your wedding. Weddings in India have their own charm and fun factor. I am sure you will have a lovely time. With regards to your outfit, I would recommend something in pastel or in the gold/ivory family. Not only are these colors very in this season but they will also complement your complexion.  If you do decide to go for a brighter color for your wedding, I think rust would be nice. Stay clear of bright pinks.

Dear Anjali,

An oval face is the easiest one for jewelry. You should definitely try a bug nath (unless you have a very blunt nose). Most oval faces do beautifully with a big nath. A maathapatti is more dramatic so try a narrow one. A broad one might be too much for your face structure. If that doesn’t work, then try a thick single tikka; that would look nice too. Also, make sure you wear nice, long earrings. I am sure you will make a beautiful bride.

Dear Maya,

You have picked my favorite colors. For your saree, you could either do a long blouse or an extra jacket, which would help. With your lehnga, do a choli down to your hip with a slit. With a heavyset figure, you will probably wear your skirt a little high so a top down to the hip will look nice. And most important, don’t worry, as long as you have a sensible designer, this is her problem to fix and make sure you look beautiful.

Dear Carmen,

Chinese and Indian are the easiest cultures to blend in an outfit with today’s styles. The most popular Indian fabric now is silk brocade, which in some instances is very similar to the Chinese silk prints available. Your bridesmaids could do sarees with Chinese silk borders and blouses, or lehngas incorporating the silk. You would then have an Indian style in a Chinese fabric, which would look gorgeous.
 

Dear Parul,

First and foremost, congratulations!  Choosing a bridal lehnga is partially about the color of the season, but more about a color and style that suits you.  Once your wedding is over, your albums are going to last forever and so you need to pick something that stands the test of time.  Considering you are having a winter wedding, the important thing is to pick a slightly warmer color because it will complement the mood.  You could consider a deep burgundy or rust or even an onion pink.  It would look funny for you to be wearing a turquoise lehnga in December because it would clash with the mood.

For the other functions for your wedding, you could go with an olive green or a bronze or other such colors.  Since you are tall enough, you can do contrasting colors but do colors in such a way that the darker color is used for the more problematic part of your body.  Most of all, remember that no matter what style and color you pick, as long as you like it, you will look beautiful in it. A bride always looks gorgeous and that is because she is happy and likes what she is wearing, and not because she chose the color of the season.

Dear Sufia,

Off white or ivory is a good choice for a wheatish complexion.  However, ivory as a color does not picture very well.  The reason for that being that most work, unless extremely striking, tends to blend into the fabric when you look at a picture. 

What I would recommend is to pick an ivory lehnga with work that stands out and then be sure to take a picture of it before you get your outfit to see how it looks.  Also, maybe you could complement it with a little marroon or other contrasting dark color.  Finally, if you do decide to go with all ivory, make sure you break it up.  Get a slightly shorter blouse with your midriff showing if possible so it breaks up the monotony.

Dear Sapna,

Glad to see you have started early with your shopping; that is the best decision you could have made. You can do two colors if you like but try to do colors that compliment each other rather than stark contrasts. Also, make sure the colors do not break you horizontally – for example, do not do a lehnga that has horizontal bands in different colors.

With a wheatish complexion, you should either do pastels or slightly deeper colors. Rather than a bright red, do a deeper red or do a rust rather than an orange. Just steer clear of very bright, loud colors.