Wedding dresses are white for the most part in the West, but in the East, it’s typical for many brides to wear red on their wedding day. In China, brides wear Qipao, which is a type of body-hugging dress decorated with elaborate gold and silver designs. In India, brides have been wearing a red lehenga, sarees, and salwar kameez for centuries.
Everything in Indian culture is represented physically through many forms; color is thus no exception. But what makes the color red so special? Is it only the wedding dress that is red? Why do Indian brides, on a day meant to signify peace and transition, wear saris the same color as stop signs?
Why the Color Red?
Each hue and shade of different colors can hold a variety of different meanings in Indian culture. Red has most often been linked with love, passion, sensuality, fertility, prosperity, and intensity. In nature, Indian culture associates red with the rising and setting sun to symbolize beauty in new beginnings as well as endings.
It can also come to symbolize purity through fire’s ability in nature to clear the way for the new changes. In India, fertile soil is slightly red from the clay, lending a deep significance to this color with an aura of life-sustaining powers. As it’s also the color of blood, many link it to life and the blood flowing through ourselves.
On her wedding day, a bride is often feeling a lot of anxiety about the multi-day wedding affair that involves multiple traditional customs to abide by rituals that fill her ever-growing to-do list.
When she wears red on her wedding day, she will feel a rush of powerful energy. Red is the color of confidence. This color lends her a unique strength and powerful presence at the wedding ceremony. To wear red is not only meant to symbolize something externally but to strengthen and raise her own internal resolve.
Why Do Women Wear Red Bhindis?
A red dot known as bhindi (Sanskrit for “particle”) is also worn by brides on their foreheads between their eyebrows as a custom to symbolize marriage. It doesn’t stop there, though; it is often custom for brides to apply henna, a reddish-brown paste, on their hands and feet in intricate designs.
What Types of Red Wedding Attire Do Brides Wear?
What is most popularly worn by brides in India on their wedding days is the banarasi silk saree with intricate designs on them. It has a regal look, and both gives the bride confidence in herself and exudes the brilliance of a new woman. Many other sarees like Kanchipuram, which have different design work are equally popular.
When brides must choose their attire, there are many options available that include lehenga, sari, salwar kameez, or ghagra-choli.
If you are getting married soon, consider any of the following as your attire:
- Our Red Heavy Embroidered Net Lehenga is the perfect bridal gown to wear on your wedding day. Embellished with traditional patterns in gold, it pairs with gold jewelry like our Suman Antique Polki Earrings.
- Our Red Heavy Embroidered Net Suit is another gorgeous option that looks even better when paired with traditional gold earrings, necklaces, and headwear.
- Our Red Heavy Embroidered Silk Anarkali is also an excellent choice for bridal attire. With gold embellishments and a long, flowing train, it’s elegant and modern at the same time.
Unique Viewpoints and Style Adaptations
The traditional red lehenga with glamorous gold designs and matching veils that reach the floor is definitely still popular. Not all brides will choose to wear the same outfit or accessories for the same reasons. That’s totally ok! What matters most is that she’s confident and happy.
By wearing different colored sindoor and choosing to wear different colors on their wedding day, wearing red during the ceremony can honor both tradition and a bride’s individualism and unique sense of style.
Many Indian brides choose to wear different colors through wedding attire and jewelry, each color coming to symbolize a variety of different meanings in the plethora of cultural contexts in India. So what colors are being worn by Indian brides today?
Gold Outfits for Brides
Often used as a signifier of riches, opulence, and magnificence, it can also be very dazzling and make the bride the center of the wedding. It’s one of the biggest reasons why red lehengas are covered in designs lined with gold; it represents prosperity not only for the bride but the new family she is to make with her husband.
Although if you do decide to go for the all-gold look with the lehenga, you can’t go wrong. It would look especially well with all diamond jewelry, a pair that should be worn when the bride wants to glisten on the stage at the engagement.
For men at a wedding, our Light Blue and Gold Embroidered Sherwani is an excellent festive outfit that makes use of subtle gold accents for a pop of color. Women can match in a Baby Blue and Gold Embroidered Silk Anarkali.
Peach Pink Outfits for Brides
Recently, many brides have been looking for a way to keep the traditional red but also blend it with some pastel by wearing pink. From hot to baby pink, Indian women are really starting to embrace wearing this soft color at their weddings!
A perfect example of pink bridal attire is our Pink and Gold Sequins Embroidered Lehenga. It’s an elegant take on the classic lehenga style that features another timeless wedding color — gold.
Even better is that it’s not only good to wear for the bride, but also for the bridesmaid and men to even explore. Depending on how much one wants to stray or stick close to tradition comes down to the hue of pink you want to go for.
Pastel Outfits for Brides
They’re soft, warm, and fuzzy and are quickly becoming a favorite amongst brides today. After Anushka Sharma wore a pink pastel wedding dress at her wedding to Virat Kohli, the wedding trends quickly began to change.
Any sort of pastel color has since been particularly trendy ever since and will continue to be as it just looks too good! Sharma’s lehenga has been created, bought, and worn by many Indian brides for its soft feel and its minimalistic aesthetic.
A pastel red or even an orange can still stick to tradition but bring a little softness to the blushing bride-to-be’s attire.
Ivory Outfits for Brides
Usually, white is avoided by Indian brides as sometimes this is the color of mourning. However, with the West influencing Indian culture more and more today, many brides are choosing colors based more on their own wishes rather than based on ongoing customs. Although, many do lean towards a creamier white than just stark whiteness.
These ivory lehengas and salwar kameez are more than often decked with golden embellishments and beautiful threaded designs. There are so many different shades of ivory that brides can explore styling and look that speak to who they are. Try the Off White Pink Printed Georgette Lehenga for a twist on white traditional garments.
Emerald Green Outfits for Brides
As one of the more popular colors for Indian brides, India’s royalty has historically used the color to symbolize fertility and growth. A green sari or salwar kameez paired with the best gold or red jewelry that one has will make the bride shine on her wedding day. Pair these accessories with our Light Green Embroidered Satin Anarkali for a cohesive look.
Many brides’ grooms are even opting to wear green as well if the bride chooses to wear the traditional red on her wedding day. Many actresses have been opting to wear the emerald shade as it is especially vibrant and striking at any venue. If you’re a groom getting ready for your wedding, our Light Green Embroidered Silk Kurta Set is perfect for you.
A Reason To Celebrate
The tradition of wearing red on your wedding day is a long-standing one, and there are plenty of gorgeous options available through Lashkaraa. All of our pieces are made in India and checked by hand individually to ensure that only the finest pieces arrive at their worldwide destinations.
From lehengas to sarees and golden jewelry, we have everything you need to make your wedding attire complete and have an unforgettable ceremony.
Sources:
Bindi: The Great Indian Forehead Art | Learn Religions