Shipra Sharma
Shipra's bridal trousseau, inspired by ideas on WeddingSutra, was a mix of emerging and established designers
Shipra says she knew she wanted to be a ‘Sabyasachi Mukherjee bride’ ever since her wedding date was fixed. Here she shares her #bridalinspirations and how she picked ensembles for her wedding, including her post-wedding shoot.
The ‘WeddingSutra Effect’
“I’ve been avidly browsing WeddingSutra for wedding ideas over the past two years, ever since my marriage date was fixed. I live in the US, so WeddingSutra was my ‘go to’ website in terms of deciding on bridal wear and wedding planning. When you live out of the country for a very long time, you are out of touch with the latest trends. I relied heavily on WeddingSutra’s Instagram and the website to plan out everything!”
The Photographer
“We had an intimate traditional wedding in the small town of Multai in Madhya Pradesh, which also happens to be my husband Sumer’s hometown. We knew we may not get great backdrops in that location so we flew in our photographer Nathan Welton from Dreamtime Images in the US. It turned out to be one of the best investments we ever made. Nathan’s images have appeared in many US publications and he has won more than 40 awards from the Wedding Photojournalist Association. The only challenging task was to explain every ritual to an American and make sure he captured the key moments and rituals of the wedding; and he did that perfectly!
Wedding Outfits
Haldi
“For my ‘haldi’ (turmeric application ceremony), I wore a bright yellow chiffon saree with zari and a white and gold pearl string border. Nathan cleverly used contrasting backdrops for a pop of color. I matched my jewellery with the saree, and wore small white pearl bangles and a kundan-golden pearl ‘maang tikka’ (forehead ornament) and earrings set. Mansi Sanghvi, my first makeup artist, kept my look very natural and gave me a subtle bridal glow.”
Mehndi
“For my mehndi, I chose a bridal lehenga from the Ekaya store in New Delhi. This outdoor, daytime event had pretty decor that comprised white tents decorated with marigold flowers. Therefore, I went for an easy breezy peach lehenga with gold zari work. The color combination was perfect, and my deep henna patterns popped up against all other shades. We had wedding favors that included Ghirardelli chocolates, peach bangles and fruit punches for guests to enjoy during the event.”
Sangeet
“For the sangeet, we color contrasted our outfits – Sumer wore a navy blue ensemble by designers Shantanu and Nikhil, from their Kolkata store, and I wore an ice-blue lehenga from Kayra in New Delhi. The decor of this event had an overall blue theme with a bunch of LED screens placed throughout the venue that worked really well. Mansi again did a fabulous job of giving me a matte face with a smoky eye look and messy curly hairdo, which stayed put throughout the evening.”
Wedding
“I had carefully picked specific colors, fabrics, makeup styles and hairdos according to my liking and preference for the wedding. I knew I wanted to be a Sabyasachi bride ever since my marriage date got fixed. His styles, fabrics, colors and the flamboyance appealed to me like no other. I got my pink aari and zardozi lehenga with scattered ‘mogra’ (jasmine/floral) motifs from the Sabyasachi Mukherjee store in Kolkata. My husband wore a suit from Canali. To accessorize the look, I wore special jewellery from an online boutique store run by a friend and matched it with jewellery from Prerto and Mortantra.”
“My makeup artist for the wedding was Kiinjal Mehta who gave me a ravishing look with a red rose hair bun to compliment the whole look. I was glowing and received so many compliments on the day (and ever since!) that were such a positive testament to her work. I took my sweet time getting ready and had a lot of fun.”
Post-wedding Shoot
“We also had a post-wedding portrait shoot in the wheat fields of central India, away from the chaos of the wedding. I wore a pink lehenga from Anita Dongre, and Sumer wore a navy blue outfit from Shantanu and Nikhil. We managed to escape during dusk one day and trespassed private property in the middle of nowhere to have the pictures taken, which in my opinion, was worth it!”
Your advice for brides-to-be
“Do what defines you and have your photographer capture it effectively. Get away from the chaos and secure some time to yourself. It is very refreshing after the wedding! Take getting ready shots every time you get ready. A bride spends a significant amount of time dressing perfectly for every ritual, why not capture it all? Always make sure your sure your jewellery does justice to your expensive outfit and vice-versa. Nothing ruins a look more than bad choices. Keep it simple. There is immense beauty in simplicity.”
The Wedding Makers
Bridal Trousseau: Ekaya, New Delhi (Mehndi), Kayra, New Delhi (Sangeet), Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Kolkata (Wedding), Anita Dongre (Post-wedding shoot)
Groom’s Trousseau: Canali (Wedding), Shantanu & Nikhil (Sangeet & Post-wedding shoot)
Post Wedding Photoshoot: Anita Dongre , Shantanu and Nikhil
Makeup Artists: Manasi Sanghavi (Haldi, Mehndi, Sangeet), Kiinjal Mehta (Wedding)
Jewellery: Prerto, Mortantra
Photos Courtesy: Nathan Welton, Dreamtime Images
