In a world of nuclear families, I have lived with 14+ members jointly at all times (no common kitchens though). Grandparents, my family, 2 chachas, 2 chachis, my cousins, my nephew. Ah, the beautyyyy! And the chaos. 😛 More beauty than chaos, ALWAYS – touchwood. So when my cousin was to get married, it was all about getting together, partying, and planning. But most importantly, it was about shopping modern dresses for sister’s marriage.
Since I went through everything (like literally EVERYTHING) online and offline (Tricity + Ambala), I thought I’d share the “sister of the bride dresses” that one can take inspiration from.
I’d request you to be kind to me if you don’t like the dresses I wore for my sister’s wedding. Everyone has a style of their own and a budget to stick to. 🙂 But whatever dresses you wear, remember the following tips –
Tips To Buy Wedding Dresses For Bride’s Sister
- Buy what your heart wants. PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS. Don’t go ahead with what others suggest. That’s because you have or you’ll have to buy dresses that look good in photographs and to people when you are a bride yourself. Since you are not, EXPERIMENT. What’s better than being a bride? Bride’s sister in this case!
- Don’t think too much about comfort. Ouch. Yes. Because these functions last only for a few hours. And that discomfort will be worth it. Heels. Make-up. Heavy earrings. Find solutions. Make them comfortable.
- Accessorise well. Even if you buy a simple dress, that’s okay. Accessorise it well and you’ll be good to go. This way, you can easily convert an average attire into a modern dress for sister’s marriage.
- Enjoy your outfit. Love your outfit. Be confident about your outfit. This will SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM. I swear I have been a kid who didn’t like dressing up till a certain age. I hated lehengas. I preferred denims over everything. But do I regret it? Absolutely not. It’s okay. Everybody has a style. I was a “jeans-top” person for so long. Now, however, it has changed. I can literally take lehengas anywhere because I enjoy them now.
Before this gyaan from Heena G’yaan’otra becomes heavy, I’ll jump on to the dresses and lehengas I wore for my sister’s wedding.
Roka Ceremony
For the roka ceremony, I opted for a timeless yet contemporary look by adorning a beautiful drape saree that exuded elegance.
- Dress: Drape Saree from AlayaByStage3 for ~ INR 3,100
- Alterations: Alterations from Shallu Boutique for ~ INR 200
- Earrings: Sunflower Earrings from EverStylish for ~ INR 150
- Bangle: Square-Shaped Bangle – Gifted by a cousin some 10 years back. (Yes, I treasure gifts. You can try giving me one. Haha 😛 Kidding. No, I’m not.)
- Belt: This pretty peacock belt is from Chhabra Collection, Sector 9, Panchkula for ~ INR 350.
- Footwear: Heels from Rajouri, Delhi for IDK-how-much (old pair).
- Nails: Colourful nail extensions From Curly Style, Sector 8, Panchkula for INR 1500.
Yes, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE repeating my dresses. I own them. I love them. And I look GOOD in them. So why shouldn’t I utilise them? I do, with all my heart!
I wore this outfit thrice and managed to look a little different every time because (a) I took the “pallu” differently and (b) I have wild hair that can make or break the occasion.
Mehndi Ceremony
The mehndi dress for bride’s sister depends on how grand the event is. Ours was a family affair with a gathering of only 25-30. Hence, I wore a simple attire but accessorised it well. I felt I could have done better here but we were all confused with the gathering – and this seemed like the best choice at the moment (if not now).
- Dress: Green Kurta from Pooja Saree Center, Ambala, for ~ INR 1,350 & White Denim from the Chumbak store in Cyber Hub for ~ INR 1,800
- Alterations: None. Both fit super well as if they were fabricated JUST for me.
- Earrings: Jhumkas from Front Neck, Sector 7, Panchkula – Old Pair
- Bangles: Colourful Bangles (to match my colourful personality) from the street market in Sec 7, Panchkula – Old
- Handbag: Banjara Bag from Banjarabazaar (Insta Account) for ~ INR 2,800. I loveeeee this bag. Louuuuveeee. Their bags sell like hot cakes, and I am glad I could get one. Yay! <3
- Footwear: Kohlapuri Juttis from Stelatoes, Sector 17, Chandigarh, for ~ INR 600.
Cocktail
Remember I told you to wear the dress your heart really loves? This was one dress for me. Everyone in the family was against this outfit because it was too simple for them but I…I LOVED it. I still love it. Just don’t know where to wear it now. 😛
- Dress: Ruffle Cocktail Dress from Urbanic for ~ INR 4,200
- Alterations: I ordered an L when I needed an S. (That’s because S wasn’t available and the heart wants what it wants.) That’s precisely why the alteration was a mind-boggling-nerve-racking-clumsier-than-the-clumsiest-oh-Gawhd experience. Anyhow, when I wore this sky embedded with stars, my mind couldn’t stop humming, “I’m sexy and I know it…Ta.Da.Da.Daan!” So yaa, all’s well that ends well. 🙂 It took me 4 visits to the boutique and ~ INR 500 to get it fixed.
- Earrings: Free-fall dangler earrings from Kumar Fashioners, Sec 9, Panchkula, for ~ INR 600. These aren’t even an inch closer to what I wanted, but I couldn’t find anything better. 🙁
- Bracelet: It was one of the best pieces of jewellery I had that went with everything Silver-ish. Perhaps it got bored of me and took itself out on a walk to never return. Yes, I lost it during the party. 🙁 I got it from Rajouri, Delhi, for ~ INR 3,000 some 7 years back for my brother’s wedding. I still remember the price because I had a mini heart attack while buying it. Jaan jaaye par jewellery na jaaye. Didn’t I say the heart wants what it wants?
- Footwear: Heels from Sector 7, Panchkula, for ~ INR 1900. I love these.
- Make Up & Hair: Hair Masters, Sec 8, Panchkula for INR 4000.
Haldi
- Dress: Unstiched Suit from Kohinoor Plaza, Sec 17, Chandigarh, for ~ INR 3,200
- Stiching: From Shallu Boutique, Sec 16, Panchkula, for ~ INR 1,800
(Creative Inputs by Meenakshi Chachi – the fashion queen of our family. I’ll let you guys know if she opens her boutique; you will love her suggestions.)
- Earrings: Street Market in Sector 15, Panchkula (Opposite Genesis Institute) for ~ INR 500
- Bangles/Bracelet: My jewellery box is hurling abuses at me for not wearing anything.
- Footwear: Kohlapuri Juttis from Anil Jutti Centre, Sector 17, Chandigarh. Received it as a gift. He’s my tayaji (cousin). I told you I have a BIG family. Touchwood. 🙂
Wedding
The Best Among All Modern Dresses For Sister’s Marriage
I got this colourful unique lehenga for my sister’s wedding. This lehenga is my vibe for real; so much so that I repeated this lehenga and wore it for my maternal cousin’s wedding too. Both the weddings were hardly 4 months apart but did it stop me from wearing the outfit I roamed a 100 shops (exaggeration totally intended) for? Na. No. Nope.
My cousin had this desire of being wed in Gurudwara Nada sahib but things didn’t materialise. If it had, I’d have worn a different attire. In a Hindu wedding, however, a lehenga is what people prefer.
- Dress: Lehenga from Kohinoor Plaza, Sec 17, Chandigarh, for ~ INR 26,000
- Alterations: Free.
- Earrings: Colourful earrings from Kumar Fashioners for ~ INR 1500
- Bracelet: Emerald-coloured bracelet from Kumar Fashioners for ~ INR 2500. I had no option. Either it was nothing or this. And something is better than nothing, right?
- Hair Accessory: 10 Pink artificial hairclips from Kumar Fashioners for ~ INR 500
- Footwear: Pink heels from Women Square, Sector 11, Panchkula for ~ INR 1,800.
- Makeup & Hair: Rahul Razani Makeup Studio for ~ INR 3500. Hair Masters was 100x better, guysss. I had my appointment booked but there was nobody to accompany me. 🙁 And Cleopatra had my entire family with 10 people.
Vidaai
- Dress: Green Silk Set from Myntra for ~ INR 1,500. This is the cheapest among all modern dresses for sister’s marriage but this was the sale price. So, be a smart buyer.
- Alterations: Alterations from Shallu Boutique, Sec 16, Panchkula, for ~ INR 500
- Earrings: White Earrings from EverStylish for ~ INR 400. These are the same earrings I can be seen wearing in the Roka Ceremony (3rd Outfit repetition).
- Bracelet: None.
- Hair Accessory None.
- Footwear: My feet had swollen by this time, so I had to wear an old pair of Kohlapuri.
I repeated this dress for my maternal sister’s mehndi as well.
Jagran
The Most Utilised Among All Modern Dresses for Sister’s Marriage
Don’t ask me the number of times I have worn this outfit. Don’t. Just don’t. I was full of “nakhras” and didn’t like this dress much when I bought it. It was out of sheer lack of choices that I had to. But my mom loved it. And she said, “Just take it. Don’t wear it. But just take it. It will help you in “chotte-motte” functions.” And it turned out to be SO FREAKING true. Wax issues? This dress. A little traditional event? This dress. A little funky event? This dress. Haldi – yellow outfit? This dress. Office traditional wear. This dress. This dress has been an out-and-out “paisa-wasool” outfit. Yay! Moms are ALMOST always right. Mark my words.
- Dress: Garara Set from Kohinoor Plaza, Sec 17, Chandigarh, for ~ INR 8,500
- Alterations: Alterations from Shallu Boutique, Sec 16, Panchkula, for ~ INR 300
- Earrings: Leaf-shaped earrings from Sec 15 Street Market, Panchkula for ~ INR 500
- Bracelet: None.
- Hair Accessory: None.
- Footwear: White juttis from Anil Jutti Centre, Sector 17, Chandigarh. 🙂
And with this, I rest my pen. I hope you got something (inspiration, new shopping places to explore, new online websites, & likewise) out of this blog on modern dresses for sister’s marriage. It took me a year to keep my insecurities aside and pen this down with ideation and pictures. I really hope it’s worth the effort and it adds value to anyone who ends up visiting this space. Truly.
And if you are a little stressed about finding the right outfit, I understand. Trust me I know the feeling. To soothe your soul, would you mind reading this short story about life? I feel it’d relieve you a little. And I wish (right from the bottom of my heart) that you get the outfit you’ve been dreaming to see in your wardrobe, soon-est! 🙂 Happy shopping.
Very informative and helpful post. Your interest, taste and exuberance towards fashion is evident by the little details that have mentioned in the blog.
Thanks for sharing. Waiting for another one.
Hello Roshni! 🙂 Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into reading and reviewing this blog. It means a lot to me. A LOT! Kush told me about you and it’s a pleasure to know you. If it’s not too much to ask, do keep returning for literary insights too. Even though I post less, I post with all my heart and seeing new readers spending as little as a minute here gives me all the ENERGY & INSPIRATION I need to keep this going. Thank you for your kind words. I’ll keep them safe with me. 🙂 Love, Light, and Laughter you way.