How to Dress up a Bridal Dress for a Wedding

Posted By: dania-mughal
Read Time: 7 min
How to Dress up a Bridal Dress for a Wedding

Attending a formal event like a wedding can be thrilling, but it can also be daunting when it is a time to select the appropriate accessories. Especially for Eastern dresses for your own wedding. Getting ready for a wedding event in asian culture with traditional or heavy couture can be a judgmental task for a bride. 

You must have knowledge about the latest fashion trends that go well with the modern yet classic look. With so many traditional women fashion accessories, determining what is appropriate and what is not can be challenging. 

With the rise of modern Eastern wear, it is now simpler to dress up for formal occasions while remaining true to our cultural heritage. This blog will tell you about the attire which is ideal for a formal function. It provides a diverse choice of solutions to suit various tastes and preferences.

Bridal Accessories Checklist

Here is the checklist for traditional brides. Through this checklist in hand you can effortlessly elevate a plain wedding.

  1. Bridal Makeup
  2. Bridal Mehndi 
  3. Nose pin or nath, it’s up to you. Some girls like it, and some don’t like to wear
  4. Bangles for both hands
  5. Matha patti or tikka
  6. Jhumar
  7. Earings
  8. Choker or Neckpieces
  9. Bridal clutch
  10. Bridal hair accessories

Read More: Can You Wear Red to a Wedding

How to Style Bridal Dress for a Wedding

Jewelry and accessories are pretty much similar, but there are some other things that are included in the bridal look. These elements of accessories can enhance a plain bridal dress and convert it into a perfect traditional outfit also for those who are attending such events, 

Bridal Makeup Look

You cannot attend a wedding event until you wear makeup. Simple glow-ups have recently become more popular than heavy dark makeup looks, but you can wear whatever you choose. For plain wedding dresses, mineral makeup is great for brides who want light, breathable makeup that will nourish and protect their skin. It can also provide sheer to medium coverage, enhancing your natural attractiveness and giving you a fresh and dewy look for Nikkah or Valima events. 

Nail art is one of the bridal items. In contrast, simple one-toned hues have long been fashionable among brides. Elaborate and colorful nail art is now trendy and popular among women. Flowers, portraits, diamonds, and even entire sceneries are now created on nails. So, if you want to stand out and do something unique with the plain dress look, you can choose intricate nail art as a part of the makeup.

Mehndi or Henna Designs

Mehndi on both hands and feet is one of the most essential bridal customs. A bride's hands are always full of either complex designs or plain tikkas. It's the first thing that defines her as a bride-to-be, and it's a lovely tradition. Like nail art, mehndi designs have changed and evolved throughout time. While traditional designs include tikkas, flowers, sunbursts, and the like, symmetrical henna designs known as Moroccan henna have gained popularity.

Furthermore, as the West has accepted the traditional wedding dress materials and incorporated them into eastern-western bridal looks. Just like this, various quirks have been brought into the art. For example, there's a new technique where the faces of the bride and husband are painted on both hands, while some designs describe full stories, such as how the couple met.  

Bridal Hair Accessories

Tiaras and other hair/headpieces are becoming increasingly popular among brides who wear plain or modern-style gowns on their wedding days. Aside from simple tiaras for bridal hairstyle, there are intricate crown pieces, headbands, bun accessories, and even a new trend of embellishing the side of the head with many pins. This recent trend has been seen by fashionistas. 

Nose Pin AKA Nath

A nose ring, also known as Nath, is a decorative item of jewelry worn by South Asian brides to show their culture, beauty, and marital status. Naths were once quite popular among bride accessories for wedding day. These are making a comeback after a long period of dormancy, which is wonderful because naths are ethereal. 

They exist in various sizes. Brides wear large naths, but small ones are recommended for semi-formal attire. That's how it allows the bride to wear them on post-wedding dawats if desired. The larger ones are timeless classics for a bride; they can be simple or complex, and you can select between a typical or subtle design.

Maang Tikka

Maang Tikka, also known as plain Tikka, is a type of hair jewelry that is worn down the middle parting. Tikkas come in a variety of forms, designs, and sizes. This can be worn higher up in the hair or lower down on the forehead. It has become mandatory for desi brides. No wedding ensemble is complete without it. It is typically paired with earrings and neck accessories and comes in a bridal set. Individual, simple maang tikkas are also known as bindis. Tikkas, whether simple or complex, are what define a bride's appearance.

Jhoomar 

Jhoomars are optional but one of the elegant bridal items. It's a stunning piece of bridal jewelry that looks even better when worn with a tikka. It is normally worn on one side of the head. Jhoomars are typically highly complex; thus, they are virtually always matched with plain tikkas. They make up for the tikka's simplicity by being quite wide and covering the full side of the head. Pearl jhoomars are the very common among brides, with approximately six lines of pearl beads branching off. It's a statement piece that has become increasingly trendy in recent years. 

Choker

Choker necklaces are another popular item among South Asian brides. These are not as plain or modest as those worn by Western brides. Instead, these are full-sized and substantial pieces adorned with classic motifs such as beads, pearls, diamonds, and more. A bride must wear these, and they are rarely seen without them. Kundan chokers are extremely gorgeous and beautifully created and are commonly used as bridal jewelry. Chokers are occasionally paired with another item of jewelry, and the two complement one another. 

Jhumka

A jhumka is a type of earring that, while no longer limited to wedding rituals, is almost always worn by brides. Jhumkas have no age limit. They are timeless and have been in fashion for many years. For a desi bride, these are normally worn as a set, with matching neck and head accessories, whether they are matha pattis, tikkas, or jhoomars in events like Baraat or Valima. Many traditional brides have recently preferred simple and delicate but traditional jhumkas because there is no substitute for true classic flair.

Matha Patti (Optional)

It's an ethnic piece of jewelry that looks similar to a tikka but extends around both sides of the head, surrounding it. Afghan tribal matha pattis are very lovely due to their distinct appearance. These are thick and rich, reflecting Afghani culture. Desi brides have recently started wearing Afghan mathapattis to events like mehndis and dholaks. Mathapattis can also come as a whole set of bride accessories for wedding day. In such cases, they would substitute tikkas or bindis. If you want a classic look for your plain wedding dress, mathapattis are a great choice.

Bridal Bangles, AKA Choorian

Kangans, bracelets, and kadas are all items that are exclusively connected with South Asian brides. Kangans, however, are optional. A bride can wear plain kangans or kangans combined with bangles or chooriyan. Kangans come in various widths. Some are thin and used to make sets with bangles, while others are thick and worn alone. Gold and Kundan kangans are popular. 

However, silver kangans are rarely owned. Whatever the case may be, the bride has the last say. Nonetheless, they are gorgeous and make the bride's arms appear full, which contributes to the overall beauty of the appearance. If you go with kangans and kadas on your wedding day like Baraat, you should choose heavy ones with gems that complement the plain dress look instead of heavy gold ones.

Bridal Clutches

To elevate the whole bridal look, you must have wedding purses are typically clutches, although they can also be drawstring bags. The bridal accessories checklist is incomplete without these purses. These bags, aka “potlis,” are more traditional-looking and easier to transport. They have a slightly different appearance than the sophisticated clutch purses, yet both look great with simple outfits. Matching bags can be fashioned from the same material as the dress or new ones can be purchased to go with it.

Ghoonghat or Dupattas

Many other popular fashions include the use of a separate dupatta, which is essentially a ghoongat dupatta. It's predominantly red, with gold filigree lace on all sides. These are applied to nikkahs, barats, and even valimas. In the same line, brides have begun to wear two dupattas with their lehengas, with one made of a heavier material and the other of a lighter, see-through material. 

Learn More: 20 Best Pre Wedding Shoot Ideas and Tips

Final Words

For all new brides or to-be brides, this guide will help you on how to accessorize wedding dress. You can create a traditional wedding look by mixing these jewelry pieces, the right makeup, and a trendy yet classy clutch or purse. All of these elements are the essentials of new brides, whether you are attending your wedding event or a post-wedding dawat.    

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