I'm going to a Hindu wedding.What to wear?

[Mirage]

DH's friend is getting married and she has very kindly invited all of .It is an all day affair,starting at 9.30am and going on until the evening,and I have no idea what to wear.I've been to hardly any weddings and certainly never a Hindu one,and I am really looking forward to it,but don't want to make a faux pas outfit wise.Does anyone have any advice?Thankyou.

Anything bright and colourful.

You should stay away from wearing red, black or white. I'd settle for a nice modest but bright dress, nothing too short or showing too much boobage.

How about this one? You could then pick up one or two of the colours for accessories. A nice pashmina would be a good idea.

You'll have a fab time. Great food and company! Hindu weddings are about socialising and you probably won't get to speak to the bride or groom. The last one I went to had amazing food .

when my (loosely) hindu friend got married, she advised wearing the sort of thing you'd wear to a High Church wedding, minus hat. and like others have said, avoiding red, black or white as a block colour (although she said fine as part of an outfit)

I was dressed by my muslim neighbours when i got invited to a hindu wedding. They lent me a burnt orange/gold salwar kameeze (sp) and lots of bangles etc. I loved the outfit - tgere were so many people there i doubt anyone noticed or cared! Most people wore bright colours and lots of jewellery.

i forgot to mention - we had to sit on the floor a lot, so you need something where you can do so with ease.

You've had the advice you need already really! this is a fabulous dress.

Ooh I went to a Hindu wedding. It was ace. Like previous posters have said, the food was great and we had to sit on the floor for the main ceremony. I was also separated from DH during this bit too. I just wore what I'd normally wear to any wedding, but we (both) had to cover our heads/hair. This wedding started early too, but also ended relatively early - by 10pm I think! I'm sure that you'll have a great time!

Good advice already given. Hindu weddings are pretty relaxed affairs.

It's a bit old fashioned now but the brides used to be expected to look sad about leaving their own family to join an unknown family. Obviously in most cases that's not how it is these days.

Have fun. Food is always exceptional. Enjoy.

Thank you all,that is really,really helpful.I didn't know about avoiding black,red or white either.I am not planning on wearing anything too fitted as I intend to eat myself silly,we are all big fans of Indian food in this house. Good point about sitting on the floor too,I'd not thought of that!

I do have a very,very ornate salwar kameez [pic on my profile] but don't want to wear it as it is very over the top and I think I'll look daft in it,trying to be something I'm not,so will look for something similar to the suggestions on here.

The dds are 7 and 9,will they need to cover their hair too? Rina ,the bride has told me that normally the wedding would take 3 days,but hers is condensed into one.

I've been to countless Hindu weddings and only covered my head at a few. Doubt if the children need to cover their heads but if in doubt just ask the bride.

Ps. You will never be overdressed at a Hindu wedding!!

Mirage, the salwar kameez on your photo looks just like what the (white, English) groom's relatives were wearing at the wedding I went to - not OTT at all

but if you are looking for an excuse to buy something new then i completely understand

I assure u u will not be over dressed in a shalwar kameez.

I think some posters maybe confused with Sikh / Hindu weddings.
Sikh weddings are where u sit on floor n men and women sit separately. Sikh wedding u must cover ur head. Hindu no need to cover ur head.

All Hindu weddings I've been to u sit on chairs.

I have worn red and black at both types of wedding. HOWEVER some ppl may be old fashioned and frown if u do this. N me upsetting a few old dears doesn't bother me. But obviously u may not want to
It's not mega strict, so say a blue dress with red flowers is not an issue.

U could turn up in a floor length ball gown with every inch covered in gold jewels n still not b ott !

Don't wear white, it's the colour of mourning for Hindus. It would be considered bad taste. Red is considered inappropriate for the same reason white is at Christian weddings - you don't want to upstage the bride. Black is ok for evening dos, but as this is all day, it is probably best avoided.

I agree that Sikh weddings tend to have floor seating and separate sides for men and women, whereas Hindu weddings don't. Ditto head coverings. I'm Hindu and had a Hindu wedding, btw.

Go colourful, glitzy and comfortable for a long day. Try and find out if the priest speaks any English and will be translating the ceremony, otherwise get some info beforehand for your DCs so they can understand it all a bit better.

And have a wonderful time. Loads of people who came to our wedding said it was the best wedding they had ever been to - interesting, inclusive, celebratory and great food

i am fairly convinced i remember sitting on the floor, and this was deffo a Hindu wedding. no-one covered their head though.

Wear your shalwar kameez, it's perfect!

Ahh I apologise. DH has just corrected me it was a Sikh wedding we went to. Sorry my mistake