Marriage... the D-Day.

What have you chosen as your bridal dress for that special day when the
queen inside you transpires?

Every women dreams about her wedding. Bridal wear, the dazzling attire is an integral part of the wedding, which
needs to be chosen with utmost care as they enhance the beauty and elegance of the bride on that special day. What to
wear ... her wedding dress is of the most priority for a bride, for it magnifies her beauty and compliments this lifetime
occasion.

The Indian traditional costumes impart unmatched grace and elegance to the wearer. With the progress of years,
marriage season has been observably putting a high demand on latest styles in the traditional, as well as modern dress
patterns. Nowadays, a combination of Indian ethnic with western touches is in vogue.

Indian marriages are popular for their lavishness, spending huge amounts in an unbothered fashion to get that
perfect look is a common willingness. Tying the 'nuptial knot' is an elaborate affair and to offer extraordinary
creativity, designers are blending fabrics, using yoke styles, decorative materials, gold zari, silk threads etc. to create
masterpieces. Summers preferably attract reds and maroons as well as other pastel shades and the common
preference for a cold temperature is a cream, pista or a baby pink tint. Silk and velvets are indeed the all-time
penchant. And lastly, the Indian saree with different draping styles and bold blouses still rules the wedding scenario.

Hottest Trends:

Initially, brides used to wear a very heavy saree embellished with gold wire and semi-precious jewels. During the
passage of time, cotemporary outfits like lehanga-choli-chunni, the ghaghra choli and many others replaced the
traditional dressing patterns. The Shararas have seen a recent come back with a bang-on craze. Circular as the fashion
cycle is, fashions of seventies through eighties and nineties are returning with modern designs and patterns. Short
cholis with embroidery, works with sequins, beads are in enormous demand today along with the handwork
applications on trousseau. Zardosi is out from the fashion spot.

Indian Designer wears in the International Market:

Indian wedding market is estimated to be around Rs. 800 billion and is positively expected to grow by 25% per
annum. Many NRIs have the practice of coming to India for their marriage shopping and this boosts the Indian bridal
wear market.

Huge repertoires of bridal wears are available in the market, in an array of colors, designs, and prices to suit the
choice and budget of every shopper. In the international market, Indian designer wears are selling like hot cakes.
Indian fashion designers like Rohit Bal, Ritu beri, Wendell Rodricks, Satya Paul, and Manish Malhotra cater to the
overseas market and have established a successful image of Indian designers wears in the foreign market.

Wedding is the most special day, when every bride wishes to look her best. Indian bridal wears with heavy
embroidery, and imaginative designs to thorough artistry; the collection lays special emphasis in providing the most
elegant and comfortable form of clothing.
Bridal fashion industry set to expand
Anna Peter

 
A model displays clothes meant for the bridal market at a recent preview of Bridal Asia 2003. - Shashi Ashiwal

Mumbai , Aug. 25

FOR couples in India tying the knot or debating it, there's no time like now to `seal the
deal'. Though traditionally the money-spinner for any designer, bridal wear is coming
into the realm of the upper middle class, and in the words of one designer, is expanding
`big-time'.

And not only is it just party wear, prêt and traditional costumes, but designer jewellery
is getting a major boost as well.

According to jewellery designer Ms Aaditi Beriwalla, the demand for diamond in

trousseau jewellery is high and prices can start from Rs 40,000. Coloured diamonds are
"very in" and the rage among youngsters.

She said that more designers were ready to show their collections at exhibitions such as
Bridal Asia, as those invited were well-heeled and their interest usually materialised
into sales. Over a period this would result in 60-70 per cent of a designer's annual
sales.
According to Ms Madhulika Mathur, CEO and co-founder of the wedding portal
WeddingSutra.com, in terms of back-of-the-envelope calculations, the jewellery market
alone would be worth about Rs 15,000 crore. However, the size of the It is widely felt
that the current regulatory framework may not be able to grapple with the complex
issues that are likely to arise in such a technological set up and therefore, the need to
establish an independent regulatory authority for the broadcasting sector is being
debated." was difficult to predict mainly because of its unorganised nature. Designers,
however, were seeing growth of 25 per cent annually, especially over the last three
years.

The percentage of money being spent on wedding trousseaus was rising substantially
and this was also attracting new players and designers to focus on wedding wear. For
designers, wedding trousseaus can rake in anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 15 lakh
and so designers time their collections around August - September in time for the
wedding season around October-November.

In the US, which has a mature bridal wear industry, a large number of women pay for
and plan their own weddings. There are about 300-400 bridal shows a year in the US,
while the trend for such shows is picking up in India with about 8-10 such last year.

Ms Mathur added that a number of mid-level designers found the wedding exhibition
route an important way to create recall among consumers and it was a more productive
expenditure than marketing or advertising. This industry is likely to witness expansion
in the next 3-4 years as well.

Meanwhile, according to a survey the wedding resource portal has carried out, the
bridal trousseau (clothes, accessories, household items) accounts for 23 per cent of the
wedding expenditure, which for the upper middle class can be between Rs 3 lakh and
Rs 7 lakh. Jewellery accounts for another 18 per cent, while pre-wedding ceremonies
account for 25 per cent, wedding day celebrations 25 per cent, and other expenses 9
per cent.

According to Ms Mathur, at weddings the allocations for jewellery and clothes are high
because they are perceived as a `life-time event' and not regular purchases. The
fashion industry itself is small and unorganised, and for most designers the wedding
business is extremely lucrative. Considering that prêt or ready-to-wear clothing is still
struggling to make its way in India, wedding wear helps designers survive comfortably.

And if numbers are anything to go by, Bridal Asia, which has been organised every year
since 1999, has seen its number of participants increase from 40 to 100 this year.
Almost 40,000 visitors are expected to visit Bridal Asia 2003 at New Delhi between
September 29 and October 1, 2003. It will showcase accessories such as bags and
shoes and home furnishings as well.