How to Dress For an Indian Wedding As a Guest

Whether the location is the bride’s backyard or an exotic island, Indian weddings are larger than life, and your outfit needs to be on point!

Extravagance, Celebrations, Traditions, Music, and Dance are the words that come up in our minds when we hear the word Indian wedding. 

Choosing an outfit for an Indian wedding is no doubt an important task. 

Indians take their weddings and all things related to them very seriously. So here you cannot wear your usual little black dress or white suit. 

Also, these weddings are not one-day shenanigans; they last for a minimum of three days up to a whole week.

If you have been invited to one and wondering what to wear to an Indian wedding, don’t worry, we heard you!

The Essential Part: Color

No matter what you end up wearing, it needs to have color in it. 

Color is the most crucial part of Indian wedding dresses. Bright and festive colors are always in style for these weddings, irrespective of the venue or season. 

However, there are a few no-go colors that you need to avoid.

● The first no-go color is black. Black color is considered unlucky in any happy event or ceremony and most significantly at a wedding.

● Next is white, which sounds odd to the people living in the west because they consider white the color of purity, and the bridal dress itself is white. 

In India, white is worn in funerals and for widowers; it indicates mourning. That’s why Indian wedding guests shouldn’t wear white dresses.

● The red color is specifically for brides; it is an Indian tradition that women wear Red at their wedding. 

Nowadays, brides are adding a touch of contemporary fashion by wearing a pink or purple-hued lehenga.

If the bride is wearing any of those colors, avoid wearing an outfit in these hues so that you don’t steal the limelight. However, it doesn’t mean avoiding the whole color palette. For example, if a bride is wearing bright red, you can still wear burgundy.

Prepare For Multiple Events and Ceremonies

Indian weddings last for days! Mostly they are comprised of three-day events, and the wedding ceremony is one part of it only. 

Before selecting an outfit, you should make yourself familiar with all the events and ceremonies. 

Your Indian relatives or friends will most likely have a traditional Indian wedding representing their faith and culture. 

If they live in some western country or grew up there, they might also have an event for a western ceremony where you can dress up in your suits or white dresses.

Consider Traditional Indian Clothes … But With A Twist! 

Traditional Indian wedding clothes are the best bet for the guests. However, things are not the same now; even for Indian weddings, you can add a little twist of your own in the traditional clothes as long as you don’t go overboard. 

The traditional outfit for women to wear at Indian weddings is a Saree or lehenga choli.

Indian wedding saree is an elaborately fastened drape of the fabric (mostly made of silk) wrapped around the body. 

However, wearing a 5 meters long cloth is not a piece of cake, so it’s best to get a stitched one, so you don’t have to work your way out in fastening it.

Another standard outfit witnessed in most Indian weddings is the Lehanga Choli. 

It is a colorful, embellished three-piece gorgeous outfit with a high-waisted skirt with a lot of flares, cropped blouse (choli), and a scarf called Dupatta in Hindi. 

It is easy to wear, and you can get a lot of variety of colors, designs, materials, etc., so customize it according to your style. 

Wearing a lehenga choli and twirling would make you feel like you are in a Bollywood movie!

The Indian wedding outfits for men are classic Kurta Shalwar, Sherwani Jackets and Trousers, and Waistcoats. 

If you like experimenting, then go for a vibrant colored kurta or a printed jacket. Or for the safe people, there are a lot of primary colors they can choose from.

Go All Out with Makeup and Accessories

It is all about bringing your A-game in Indian wedding makeup and jewelry. 

Ditch your minimal looks and go full glam with a lovely bright lipstick. 

Traditional jewelry is a classic for Indian weddings that include headpieces, bangles, earrings, and the most crucial part is bindi. 

Bindi is an ornate sticker on your forehead, and it is a big part of Indian culture for women.

Indian wedding outfits require a piece of statement jewelry, so you will be considered underdressed if you skip accessories or jewelry. Gold and vibrant jewelry is a staple for most women, but you can wear something that suits you the best.

Be Respectful of Their Culture

It is best to respect their culture and values while dressing up, avoid cleavage dresses, or be really short. 

There can be instances where everyone covers their head during the ceremony, so you should join them. 

Women can use the drape of their Saree, and men can use a handkerchief to cover their heads during religious rituals.

Indian Wedding Outfits for Each Event 

Mehandi

For the Mehandi, women should go for something vibrant and floral like a printed cape with flared palazzos, draped skirt, or tulip pants. 

You must be careful on this day because everyone would be getting their henna done, so don’t get the henna stains on your outfit. 

These functions are primarily for women only; however, if you are a guy who got invited to a mehndi event, you can go for slim pants and a kurta. 

This is your chance to have some fun with colors and prints or if you want to play safe, go for a basic solid kurta.

Sangeet

For women, a lehenga would be perfect for Sangeet. 

It can be worn with a classic blouse, or you can make a statement with an off-shoulder or ruffle, embroidered, or sequined blouse. 

Since this event is all about dancing your heart out, make sure to wear something easy to move around. 

For men, the Sangeet calls for a navy or black sherwani jacket with formal trousers. 

Other options could be a three-piece suit or a smart dinner jacket.

Wedding Ceremony

Here comes the main event- for the wedding, you can either opt for a lehenga or a saree, whatever you feel the most comfortable in.

If it’s a day wedding, stick to dusty pastels and wear deeper tones for the evening event. 

Men should wear a pastel kurta at this event or even add a waistcoat to elevate the look.

Other Events

Indian Weddings don’t usually have these three events; there is always something going on in between, so it’s best to keep extra clothes for such events. 

Women can keep embroidered Kurtis or Kaftans along with some light matching jewelry. Men will be fine with their plain kurta and pants.

Wrapping Up

Attending an Indian wedding is no less than being on a Bollywood movie’s set. Full of color, bling, music, traditions, and what not! 

Your outfit plays a crucial role in your presence at an Indian wedding, so make sure to make it worth your while. 

Remember that this would be your only chance to be extra without any guilt because you can be underdressed but can never be overdressed at an Indian Wedding.

Thank you for reading “How to Dress For an Indian Wedding As a Guest.”

We also have other posts that can help you with your wedding preparations.

Visit our Indian Weddings page for tons of Indian wedding photos and videos!

Check out some of our traditional wedding articles Mackey House – Savannah Wedding Venue, 12 Wedding Traditions You Should Know About, The Mansion at Forsyth Park, An Exquisite Savannah Wedding Venue, and Ford Plantation – Where Your Wedding Dreams Come True!