I have been in awe of my mother’s wedding pictures since the time I could have understood the meaning of ‘wedding’. Her black and white photographs –full length, side pose, Jaimala ,pheras to vidaai- she looks gorgeous in all of them. She even took out her wedding sari from a suitcase saved at one corner in the attic and showed me with fondness, the bright red and orange of the entire length. And then it struck me- to get married in my mom’s wedding sari and carry the heirloom ahead…
We Indians keep the wedding trousseau locked away in the closets for emotional reasons and feel good factors. It’s difficult to part ways with the wedding ensemble and it lays in our cupboards from years to decades. There is a huge investment for a one- time wear. Major of us wear the wedding trousseau just once, some wear it two-four times and only a very few repeat it five-seven times. I have hardly come across someone who has worn it more than ten times.
For the sentimental reasons and the love for old age tradition, many of my friends have been opting for their mother’s wedding
trousseau for their own wedding. They dig their mother’s fabulous sari and restyle it for their own marriage instead of splurging thousands of rupees on a new one. The dupatta is used with another attire or a new blouse is teamed up with the sari. The unusual mixing of red and green and gold can add the glamour quotient. The sequence work can jazz up the look and broad borders can make it trendy.
The trousseau can be easily teamed up with modern jewellery to fuse the traditional and modern looks. The latkans, bajubands ,waistbands can give a whole new stunning look. Diamond polkis and kundan sets give an alluring élan to the entire look and accentuate the entire trousseau manifestation.
So, all my friends, when you plan to get married…do peep into your mom’s cupboard.