Traditional outfit for Sikh/Indian wedding

[Billythecat]

Hi! I will be attending a wedding service in a Gurdwara soon and would be really grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction to a traditional outfit I could get(ideally to order online or I am based in Hertfordshire and could also get into London if that would be much better). I’ve been looking online, but I am not really sure what I am looking for and want to make sure it is suitable. In case it matters, I am related to the bride(close family), who is not Sikh but her fiancé and his family all are. I really want to make sure I don’t make any mistakes. I believe i should avoid red and gold but what else should I bear in mind please? I will ask the bride and groom if needed but they have a lot on their plate right now! Grateful for any help that can be given

Also avoid white as it's a mourning colour for Sikhs. I'm not local to that area so unable to give advise in regards to shops.
Generally advice if you are wearing asian clothes - avoid larger parts of skin showing in you clothes time bare navel or very low cut whilst in the gurdwara and have something to cover your head with

There a 3 main types of outfits saris - which I would avoid as they are hard to sit on the floor with. Lenghas and anarkalis- anarkali is a long maxi dress style outfit, lengha is a top and skirt. The third style is a suit which is a top and bottoms in the form of a salwar or pyjami (pyjami is a tight fit trouser type and salwar is more MC Hammer pants). See what you like, go colourful.

An Indian Summer has some lovely clothes - recommended on other threads and might be worth a look. Dresses, trousers and tunics, plus accessories.
www.anindiansummer.co.uk/collections/tunics

Depends on budget. But I go to Mongas whenever I need outfits for Hindu Sikh or Muslim religious events (associated with weddings) as they customise them to make them appropriate.

The following one is beautiful. I have it with a dupatta (Mongas gives them with all outfits if you need one) & if you won’t need to wear it again they will retailor it for your sister.

mongas.co.uk/collections/bridesmaid/products/top-sharara-dupatta

@Ozanj those outfits are stunning!! Definitely suitable for a wedding. Pricy though

As already mentioned above, avoid anything white and avoid anything revealing. Something like this would work: www.diyaonline.com/green-tarditional-print-suit-set-ls-5262.html

[quote mrssmiling]An Indian Summer has some lovely clothes - recommended on other threads and might be worth a look. Dresses, trousers and tunics, plus accessories.
www.anindiansummer.co.uk/collections/tunics[/quote]
These are a bit casual for a wedding

Things have move on, being sikh i wear long gown type dresses now that has jewels and embroidery on the neck line. Along with a chunni to cover the head fhat I can leave behind in the car for the reception afterwards.

Obviously its modest e.g. not low cut and floor length. If its a bit see through material just pop leggings underneath.

Lengha is too much faff as are saris.

[quote wizzywig]@Ozanj those outfits are stunning!! Definitely suitable for a wedding. Pricy though[/quote]
That’s why I said budget is really important lol. Quality Indian clothes for bridesmaids are pricey. You can get really basic stuff for £50-£100 and as she’s just a bridesmaid and not part of the culture she would get away with it, but if OP isn’t going to wear it again then she won’t be able to give it to her sister later as it wouldn’t be considered appropriate for a bride. I’m half Indian but Hindu background and even I struggle to rewear outfits I bought for more modest Sikh / Muslim religious events.

To be honest the outfits posted here have sharah bottoms. Those are more Pakistani than Indian and are not as easy to sit in!

Which is why I mentioned gowns are now fashionable, with the Indian jewels and embroidery in small places. It's a nice hybrid between full on Indian and western. I can wear those dresses to any type of formal event and get away with it.

www.andaazfashion.co.uk/dark-blue-anarkali-gown-with-resham-embroidered-lstv02254.html

Like this, just over £100 but something that you can wear at a number of events

Thank you so much for all of the guidance and tips- it’s so helpful! I will get looking and bear all of that in mind. I have long enough to have a look around bearing all of this in mind and to get something ordered! Thanks also for any mention of retailers I can look at

You don't have to wear a traditional Asian outfit, you can customise what you have already without spending a fortune. My friend wore a long sparkly evening dress to an Asian wedding. She had a shawl to cover her hair for the religious service & made sure she was covered. There's no requirement to wear Asian dress, just make sure you are modestly covered.

www.diyaonline.com/

Gowns are quite fashionable at the moment - so just a floor length maxi dress with a matching scarf. You can even get a western dress and find a matching scarf with it so you can re wear it. Otherwise you can try anarkali gowns like the one the PP recommended.

If you want to do the lengha look, I would recommend Nim’s Boutique (online). They do lots of videos on Instagram so you can get a feel for how the outfits look.

For gurdwaras be conscious you have to sit on the floor (don’t do saris - they can be a pain). Sleeveless is totally fine for gurdwaras (but probably not strapless or spaghetti straps). People generally avoid red, white and black for weddings

Ok, not if the right culture to help directly, but when you say you could get to London which bits of London?

I can't think of anywhere central, but if you're coming from the south, then Tooting has lots of shops with simply beautiful clothes (Tooting Broadway station, then go north on main road in direction of Tooting Bec station)

Some casual wear stuff available here: www.styleus.co.uk/