SAM’S OUTFIT: I always knew I wasn’t going to be the bride would wear the traditional red saree, it just wasn’t me. I also knew I didn’t want to wear a white dress either, but I definitely liked the idea of wearing a white saree. I absolutely love detail, embroidery and appliqué work in Indian textiles, so in my mind I knew I had to have something that celebrated the amazing artistry and handwork of artisans.
I did a quick internet search of bridal couture by Sabyasachi my favorite designer and saw that his last collection ‘Opium’ was absolutely exquisite and exactly the style I wanted. There was no information on the internet about the collection so I ended up emailing the boutique to see if they had the piece I was interested in. They said they had only one available in store but couldn’t hold it for me unless I paid for it in full!
There was no way I was going to do that without actually seeing it in real life, but a few weeks later on the day I arrived in Kolkata I went to the Sabyasachi boutique, and there it was hanging on the rack. It was perfect, even more, exquisite and beautiful in real life. It was reminiscent of Mughal times coupled with the 1920s flapper era, a mix of regal and old school vintage Bollywood. Needless to say, that was the easiest bridal shopping ever! My sister and mum ended up buying their outfits from there too.
JEWELLERY: Jewellery was a whole another thing, it was extremely overwhelming and stressful! I didn’t want to wear a lot of gold, so I started my jewellery search only looking at stone sets. We ended up just going to a couple of stores, and after seeing about 50 sets, I chose a Kundan stone set from Nemichand Bhemwala and had to bargain hard with the salesmen. My tip would be to have your Bangla/Hindi up to scratch before you go. Oh and have a calculator handy.
HAIR & MAKEUP: I never wear my hair up, and despite really wanting to have it down, I ended up going with the advice of my friends and hairstylist at Sadler Hair and went for an ‘up-do’ simply because of the fact that I was going to have all this head jewellery like a maang tikka and chaap and my hair needed to be pulled back. I did a trial a few weeks before and it was too low and made the back of my neck really itchy so I would highly recommend doing a trial before the big day! I ended up going for a higher simple and chic ‘chignon’. My makeup was done by Freshta Sahak from Beauti Bar – we kept it minimalist and natural to complement my outfit.
BOUQUET: We had florist Dragonfly Flowers & Designs create lush bouquets for my bridesmaids and I.
HEINZ’S OUTFIT: A custom made blue tailored suit by Moonstar Tailors in Bangladesh. Buttonhole florals by Dragonfly Flowers & Designs
BRIDESMAIDS: My sister and sister-in-law wore Sabyasachi outfits as well.
GROOMSMEN: They wore their own suits.