De-coding my Reception Look | Reception Saree Tales | Bengali Bridal Look | Unconventional Bengali Bridal Ideas
Firstly, a big thank you for showering all your love on my Bridal Posts. This post is super duper late, as it is almost seven and half years now since I got married, nevertheless I still receive a lot of queries on my Reception Look. Which saree? How do I go about with the makeup? What kind of jewelry? Now let us imagine, when you think of a Bengali Bride on her reception, what is the most common thing that comes to your mind? A blue benarasi saree that is mostly chosen by her in-laws? Many a times, the bride is not even asked for her choice of colour (Yes, I still get to hear this in 2020). I’ve pictured them in various hues of blue. Sky Blue, aqua blue, turquoise blue, royal blue, navy blue, or at the most sea-green, bottle green, banana leaf green benarasi saree. I wanted to break all those typical stereotype looks around eight years back and invest in something that can be draped later.
So after my reception venue and date was finalised, we got working on the kind of saree that I wanted to wear for my Reception and accessories to go with it. I was not sure about the kind of saree, but I definitely wanted some piece of jewelry other than Gold or Diamonds, that can be bought so that it never goes out of fashion with time. So I decided on Kundan, something very elegant, appealing, and will never go out of fashion for another 100 years from now.
While I started my research on the internet about Kundan Jewelry, I kept an eye on the Jewelry Stores that sell authentic Kundan Jewelry, since replicated fake pieces of Kundan are easily available, and it is quite hard to distinguish between a real and a fake one. Finally, a shop that caught my eye was Saraf Jewellers in Mani Square Mall. They sell authentic certified Kundan Jewelry, and provide after sales care for them as well. As I entered their shop, my eyes were on their dazzling pieces of Kundan/Polki/American Diamond jewelry sets. Everything in their shop was classy and unique, and i had a hard time deciding what to buy! Finally, my eyes fell on this particular set which i bought for my Reception. It comprised of the necklace, ear-rings and a maang tika. In addition to it, I also bought a Kundan Damini for my Wedding Day, Bangles and a Kundan Ring to complete it all.
My Reception’s Saree was designed from a boutique in Kolkata name Greenhouse (Near Tollygunge Metro). They are famous for their designer Kanthas and sophisticated variety of sarees. I wanted a Magenta coloured saree for my Reception, so I got it custom made. They took around 2 months to weave my dream saree into reality. Never before have I been so satisfied with any custom-made saree.
The Saree has been weaved with “aari stitch” in pure Bangalore silk. The Pallu/Aanchol of the saree has huge “kolka” design motifs, and similar ones can be spotted in the bottom half of the saree. Small hand-made zari bootis adorn the entire saree. The border is a typical fish-bone designed zari border (Bengalis and their obsession over everything fishy!). I got tons of compliments for the look, and I am so glad that I have worn the same saree for over 12 – 15 times now, unlike benarasis that rarely get to see the light of another wedding. Most importantly, the saree is lightweight and easy to drape, which makes it so versatile. It can be worn to a party as well as a wedding without looking over the top!
Did you also drape an unconventional saree for your wedding reception? Do share your Saree Tales with me. Find me on Instagram HERE.
Credits: ~~Photography by Prasanta Singha, Makeup By Ujjwal Debnath~~