Weddings in India are primarily grand and celebrated like a festival. Although the rituals differ from north to south or east to west, marriages in each region across the country are full of rich history and traditions dating thousands of years back. These weddings are all about customary ceremonies, delicious food, vibrant decorations, music with dance and celebrations of families and friends together.
A typical Indian wedding lasts from two to five days, with different ceremonies and events to rejoice each day. The bride and groom and the guests are dressed in vibrant attires and eye-catching accessories. One more thing without which Indian weddings are incomplete is gold jewellery.
Gold has been a part of Indian culture for decades and even now is considered to be auspicious during special occasions, festivals and wedding rituals. Whether you choose to wear some dainty pieces or some prominent and statement ones, each piece should be something you love personally. And most critically, you should know what you're buying and what will suit your bridal or non-bridal attire. You may select a variety of jewellery pieces, but whether or not they are of the quality you are paying for is a matter of concern.
Buying gold jewellery needs the attention of a keen eye and a fair bit of research to get that perfect piece that will stay with you for a lifetime. Before your purchase, don't forget to check the gold rates and make changes to the jeweller. And also, it is highly essential to buy only hallmarked gold jewellery like engagement rings for the bride and groom. Look for the hallmark to know the purity and fineness of the gold item. You can also check for the purity of your gold jewellery piece with an online gold purity calculator.
Wedding Ceremonial Ornaments
Indian weddings are full of various ceremonies, and we can't celebrate any wedding without them. When it's essential to take care of the apparel you wear, it is equally important that you keep in mind what kind of jewellery to pair them with.
Sangeet: It's a pre-wedding function and, as the name indicates, is all about music and dance. The entire family, along with close relatives and close friends, are invited, and they perform with each other to celebrate the new union of two families and the couple. A cocktail dinner follows the event at most weddings, so a cocktail gown is suitable for the guest ladies. However, heavy jewellery may become a hinge for the dancing for the family members and performers. Hence, minimal, lightweight jewellery works best with dainty diamonds and gemstones for the added sparkle.
Mehendi & Haldi: Both ceremonies include traditional rituals of putting henna in the hands and turmeric paste on the body. Either celebrated separately or on the same day, these rituals demand light colour clothing (yellow, peach, white) and traditional ornaments or accessories. However, modern weddings are taking a step forwards when it comes to dressing for the two events mentioned. With intricate jewellery over solid colours and a contrasting style of lehengas or sarees, new age brides and bridesmaids are making it subtle and chic.
Reception: This event is considered very important, and it is necessary for the bride-groom and all the family, friends, and guests to dress accordingly. Women traditionally preferred designer gold jewellery pieces with diamonds, gems, or solid gold designs to match their highly embellished attires and heavy makeup. But nowadays, most have let go of the intricate sarees and switched to something simpler yet sophisticated like gowns or dresses. However, the jewellery part remains the same, with decorated gold necklaces paired up with gold earrings and bangles or bracelets.
For the Bride
rom layering up on the bling to adopting a subtle shade, buying designer sarees for the bride and jewellery choices came too far compared to her ancestors. Nowadays, 'more is no longer the accepted norm. The modern brides believe in a more stylish and well-informed approach to jewellery shopping, with equally valuing quality and versatility.
The jewellery set for the wedding day is the crowning glory, but the pieces for your pre or post-wedding events, if picked smartly, can be worn again with ease even after the end of the celebrations. While shopping for the big day, most brides choose their attires first and then follow with the jewellery, though it's sometimes wise to do the opposite. A wedding jewellery set will be a hefty investment, so it is advised to choose timeless over trendy.
Diamonds and uncut diamonds are the most common choice for the main ceremony. Diamonds on gold jewellery are timeless and can add so much grace if you choose to wear them over red or golden attire. To match light coloured attires, you can punctuate the set with precious gems like emeralds, tanzanites, rubies, tourmalines or pearls for a hint of colour. While some brides choose to layer it up with gold necklaces and bangles, some often go with a choker and a long statement piece with heavy earrings to match the look.