Brides, grooms opt vintage designs, bolder colours: stylists

New Delhi: Brides and bridegrooms are now drifting away from conventional wedding ensembles and choosing to experiment more with colours, silhouettes and designs, say stylists.

The annual four-day wedding show 'The Treasury of Trousseau' beginning today at DLF Emporio here has taken on board stylists Aki Narula, Mohan Neelakantan and Niharika Khan to offer soon-to-be brides and bridegrooms a cutting edge over others on their 'big day.'

"At one point we were very very traditional but now while we retain traditional roots and although the silhouettes are not dramatically changing, the brides are now more and more willing to experiment. They all want to look different. They all want to stand out. The individuality has started coming in which wasn't there so much," says noted stylist Mohan Neelakantan.

A significantly visible change is the shift away from the traditional wedding hue of red. "Previously for brides it was end of the story with the traditional red lehenga. But now they are trying to experiment with colour," says Neelakantan. The renowned stylist cites increasing exposure to social media and movies among reasons for a spike in demand for customised attires.

"I think individuality is something that is really coming to the fore," he says. Among the recommended alternative colour options in vogue are shades of orange, yellow and royal blue. Bollywood stylist Niharika says she feels with people willing to spend more on weddings, there is a growing demand for ensembles that can be mixed and matched.

"People are really looking at fusion. They are looking at integrating colour into their wedding. It is not just traditional red and gold anymore. I think everybody wants to have a puff colour to it. Even if you do want to stick to a red, you want to add a little pink to it to make the outfit a little more interesting."

"So there's more customisation where you want that one lehenga to have a different edge where you know that it is different from everyone else," she says. With regards to jewellery, while gold continues to be integral in an Indian wedding, many also choose polki-kundan counterparts that complement the ensemble.

"Gold of course is integral unless you are wearing polki jewellery," says Khan, who has styled for Anurag Kashyap helmed film 'Bombay Velvet'.