Bride-To-Be Checklist for the Indian Bride

Because weddings are a perfect excuse for going all out!

YOMO – You only marry once. At least in India that’s what they say. And on this important occasion of your life you HAVE to look your best (hell better than everyone else in the room!). All eyes MUST be on you or else your wedding will not be such a sweet memory after all. Imagine your best friend looking prettier than you in your wedding album!! HELL NO!

So here are some perfect tips to make you look ravishing and extraordinarily beautiful on your wedding day…

Proper diet and exercise

The wedding preparation for the bride begins a year before the wedding. You need to stay fit and in shape in order to rock the Bollywood bride look. Eat right and exercise daily. DON’T dare to go on one of those stupid juice cleanses. They may help you lose weight but you’ll lose your entire glow and look like an undead zombie. Consult a skin specialist and dietician and they’ll suggest what you should eat and how much should you work out. This is not just for your wedding; it will actually help you to improve your lifestyle.

Grow your hair

You don’t want to be stuck in a bob cut look at your wedding. Chop them off later if you must. But a bride in short hairstyle is a buzz kill. At least grow your hair to a reasonable length so that the extensions won’t look like some 70s hairstyle. Take extra care of your hair and scalp by applying oil (mixture of coconut and olive oil) on your hair at least twice a week for super shiny and conditioned look.

THE lehengas and saaris

To be completely honest, wearing an original designer lehenga is not important. You can actually buy a fake one (as shown in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya) and look like Kareena Kapoor at half the price. After all it’s just a dress and you are only really going to wear it once (No matter how many times you say that you’ll wear it on Chintu’s wedding).

Make sure you do your research on Pinterest and by following Fashion Week. Make your choices and go on a Fake Lehenga Hunt! Take the picture along and your bargain-expert aunty with you. They are the best!

Groom’s Outfit

Make sure that your outfits are color-coordinated. This is the only day where the color-coordinated clothes are mandatory. Otherwise all your pictures will come out horrible and totally ruin the look! So go for outfit shopping with him if you don’t want him to see your lehengas before the wedding.

Jewelry

As soon as your outfits are chosen and have found a place in your wardrobe, grab your mum and go for jewelry shopping. It’s completely up to you whether you want to wear ‘real’ jewelry or fake one. Nowadays many brides buy imitation jewelry in order to find a perfect match for their outfits, as gold and kundans don’t always look good with everything. Also the real deal is super expensive. So if you want something lighter on your pocket, there are many shops in Mumbai and Delhi that offer beautiful imitation jewelry to exactly match your outfit. You can customize them to your liking as well.

Shoes

You may wish to go for the drop dead gorgeous ‘highly’ uncomfortable high heels. But I’d say avoid it! Weddings are looooong and you may have to stand in some of the functions for an awfully long time. It’s better to buy something comfortable for such rasams. Anyway, your shoes won’t be visible under your beautiful lehenga/Saari.

Go hairless

You can do it! Go for a full body wax just 2-3 days before the big day and apply proper lotion to avoid any bumps and rashes on the skin. An olive oil massage will smoothen the skin and make it supple and soft. Go for a spa treat if you’re in the mood.

Make-Up and Hairstyle

Please! Please! Please! Try your make-up artist and hairstylist beforehand. You don’t want to be shocked on your wedding day when you look at yourself with pink eye shadow and bindi wala mang teeka (YIKES!). That’s the worst! Consult your friends and family members and take their recommendation. Make sure to discuss your desired look for the different rasams and try them on to avoid any last minute surprises.

Photographer and Video Artist

This is one of the most important decisions in a wedding. A photographer and video artist are the ones that can either make a time capsule of your most memorable day to revisit again and again or leave a bitter memory behind. You don’t want to look like a zombie or have pictures of people you barely know pushing Gol-Gappas down their throats. Choose the Photographers and Video Artists wisely. Demand to see their previous work if you must and give them specific instructions. Again go over Pinterest for interesting wedding picture ideas.

I hope this checklist helps you in your preparation.

Good luck for your wedding! May you live happily ever after!!