Let's talk a bit about Manika's wedding piece. After receiving so many inquires about her lehenga, we decided to create a color palette of the colors her lehenga contains for any future brides that might want to use! Manika's lehenga features 100% handwork with multiple embroidery materials focusing mainly on stone and zari/zardozi work. Her lehenga is embellished with various sized of white and rainbow colored stones. Along with stones, a variety of sequence and bead/pearl work is used around the floral designing. Just imagine how much this beauty probably glitters!

When working with pastel tones, net lined with satin lining works best as the base fabric. Satin is silky, shiny and a soft fabric that reflects light colors really well. Not only, satin beautifully drapes and is wrinkle-resistant, enhancing the "fall"/flare of the lehenga. Although this fabric is durable, it is really difficult to work with, specially with Indian embroideries due to their weight and intricacy. Therefore, satin is usually over layered with a net layer which holds the embroidery. Since net is a textile in which the yarns are fused, lopped or knotted at their intersection resulting in open spaces, the satin lining must be of high quality and dyed really well as it will peak through the spacing of net and will be the true color enhancer of the entire piece. Because her lehenga uses both weightless base fabrics (satin and net), giving it volume is necessary and key in order to "stand" the heavy stone work. To do so, the lehenga is outlined with a tough layer of cancan underneath and multiple underlaying net layers to give it some weight. In addition, her lehenga was approximately 7 to 8 meters in flare with wide width kali's - the bigger the flare, the more volume!

MINUSHA + AMARDEEP

#BRIDESOFLAVISH

#GROOMSOFLAVISH

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Here's a match made in heaven, Minusha and Amardeep!

So, brides when in doubt wear a red bridal lehenga and flaunt it like a diva because you can never go wrong with the classic bride in red look! Take inspiration from this floral zardozi and threadwork lehenga where too much of embroidery and heavyweight is not a worry!

Do you know the significance behind the color red in Indian weddings? The color red plays a huge role in Indian culture as the symbol of marriage. It signifies anything auspicious and is considered to indicate sensuality, purity and fertility.

Here are some classic additions to add to your red bridal lehenga that will give you the classic bridal look:

Neckline: Opt for either a Sabyasachi sweetheart or round neckline. Both of the necklines can be used for the front and back necks of our blouse!
Fabric: Red is a vibrant deep color and needs a solid base for it to pop in pictures and embrace it's true color . Our recommendation is to either choose raw silk or micro-velvet as both of these fabrics are rich and heavy and you would not have to worry much about the embroideries or heavy hand work as well.
Sleeves: Keeping in mind the sweetheart/round neckline, elbow-length or 3/4 sleeves will work really well!
Accent colors: Although a typical red-gold lehenga looks amazing and is a common choice, we would suggest to add at least one accent color. Colors within the lehenga help enhance the embroidery and also give you options to work with for décor, jewelry, groom and family outfits. Some common colors that go well with a red base include peach/pink tones, light and dark green, mint, ice blue, and off-white.

ASHLEY'S INTIMATE BACKYARD WEDDING

#BRIDESOFLAVISH

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Presenting our beautiful bride Ashley from Edmonton, Alberta in custom bridal and reception attire!

Intimate backyard weddings are starting to feel a bit more regular during these days, and honestly we are personally really liking them! Like many couples out there these days, Ashley and Onkar had to have a small and intimate wedding due to the pandemic and we're glad we got to be a part of their big day! Ashley's wedding and reception day outfits were both customized by our incredibly talented karigars. She came to us with an inspiration picture and found exactly what she was looking for! With a few tweaks (maybe actually flipping an embroidery pattern upside down), we created her stunning maroon bridal lehenga!

Let's talk more about her design process. Ashley came in to our boutique with a single picture of a lehenga she had seen online. It had minimalistic floral patterns and an underlying frill. During her bridal appointment with us, she fell in love with one our designs but liked it upside down! So guess what, our talented sketch artist, Harpreet sketched the entire pattern upside down. The original lehenga in store was embellished with vined floral patterns going from waist down and scattering into single dispersed motifs. However, Ashley liked it the other way around! Check out the sketch we created for her below to see what we mean!

PETITE BRIDES

Those who are smaller in height have all that advantage to wear any length of heel! But wedding shopping isn’t always easy for petite brides. Sometimes, the lehenga is too long, the blouses are enormous, and the dupatta just drowns you. With the right style tips and guidelines, your perfect wedding dress shopping can be done with ease. So, while shopping for your wedding dress, keep some of these tips in mind!

Keep it simple: avoid oversized chunky embroidery, this will make you look overwhelmed and also keep borders to minimum
The lehenga should be tied around your navel and should end a few inches below your feet - have at least 3-4 inches of space between the blouse and lehenga
Avoid trails and puffy princess type of dresses
Show off your neck and shoulders with modern cuts and necklines (halter, cold shoulders, boat neck, off-the-shoulder, illusion necklines, etc)
Avoid large motifs, instead, go for patterned intricate embroidery
Go for panelled lehenga to make you look taller
Avoid stiff fabric (brocade, tissue)
Try to wear a lehenga rather than a one-piece dress. The lehenga top and bottom gap helps pop out your upper body and lower body separately, whereas a one-piece may look a little unflattering
Avoid low waistlines-help your overall look appear tall
Opt accessories that will bring your outfit together. Jewelry helps provide a proportional look and attracts attention towards the face. However, don’t overdose on it, it will only make you look shorter! For example, don’t wear a rani-haar(long necklace) and a small necklace or if your wearing big earrings, go light on the necklace
Make sure your dupatta isn’t too heavy. You can go for two dupatta’s, a lighter one for the head and the lehenga dupatta on the side or draped on your body
Instead of a multicoloured outfit, go for with just one colour this gives the illusion of being taller
Choose an outfit with front slits to add vertical lines giving the illusion of height
Try outfits that are floor length and not ankle length

TALL BRIDES

Are you above the 5’5” height? Then high-five! Not many people have these genes! Taller people usually have many more options when deciding their wedding dress. Here are some tips for tall brides and how they can easily rock wearing each and every type of dress.

Sarees make any women look gorgeous, but those who are tall have a high raise torso that gives you the advantage of flaunting your waist
Long gowns with deep necks look stunning
Lehenga with a short blouse enhance the tall body
Two dupattas always look better
Halter neck (according to body shape)
Avoid high heels since you already have long legs
Avoid extra embroidery to highlight your height
Bright colours such as hot pink, bright red, coral, and blue seems perfect for taller girls
Avoid wearing two colours, this breaks your height and makes you seem a bit shorter

THE MOST FLATTERING INDIAN WEAR ACCORDING TO YOUR BODY SHAPE

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We all have to agree that women are the most beautiful creations of God and we must know what “the perfect fit” is. Your wedding is one of the biggest milestones in your life that you’ve been dreaming and planning about since childhood, whether that was playing dress up with your mom’s outfits or watching one of your favourite cousin getting married and saying “I can’t wait till I get married”.

The real difficult part is to choose the perfect wedding dress that suits your body shape. Style and body shape are essential things that should be prioritized when selecting your outfit - you want to look tall, and bold rather than someone unflattering. Each one of us is unique and have a specific body style, so we must be careful in deciding what clothing styles look better than the other on us.

To make things easier, here is a guide based on our experience for picking the right wedding dress. The 5 general categories of body shapes are:

Hourglass
Pear
Rectangle
Apple
Inverted Triangle

HOURGLASS: Proportionate bust and hips, well-defined waist.

If you got this figure, girl you slayin!

Recommendation: Go for a tighter outfit style instead of something oversized or baggy. The objective is to show off those curves! Full-ghera lehenga, fish-cut, gown, or a saree drape are perfect styles for an hourglass figure. To make your figure stand out even more, choose solid colours as this will highlight your stunning body shape. Wearing outfits with either a deep back or a halter neck, rather than a fully covered neck will also help enhance your upper body and make you look even more attractive.

PEAR: Hips and thighs are a little bigger, small shoulders, bust and a long slim waist.

Girl, you have the same body type as Beyonce, don’t need to say more do I?

Recommendations: This is the most common body shape and wearing something that balances your body will be the perfect fit. Go for a detailed neck, for example, a boat neck or a ‘0’ neck so that your upper body is more volume. Take advantage of your slim waist by wearing a low waist lehenga but don’t add to much flare as this will make you appear out of shape. You could also wear long flowy outfits that highlight the slender wait. The key is to draw attention to your waist and upper body.

RECTANGLE: Shoulder, bust, waist, and hips are a similar size (usually small) – minimal curvature.

Got this body shape? Don’t be afraid because your shape can easily carry glamorous with just a little effort!

Recommendations: This body shape should focus on the toned stomach and well-defined arms. The perfect option would be to go for a floor-length anarkali suit, or a gown. Wear dresses with a belt or design around the waistline that will feature your waist – visually giving you a waistline. Avoid wearing an off-the-shoulder, halter top, and a tighter bottom, as these will make you look broader. Go for a detailed blouse with a ‘u’ shape or sweetheart neckline to highlight the upper body.

APPLE: Small to average bust, with weight around your midsection. Back appears a little wide and have little to no waist definition.

If you got this body shape, you don’t need to feel like you can’t dress to impress!

Recommendations: The most important guideline with this shape is to invest in a good bra to make the most out of your bust line. Longer tops with a ‘u’ or ‘v’ neckline will add balance throughout your body. Avoid stiff fabrics like, tissue and brocade as this will give you a bulky and flat look. A gown or anarkali with a design along the waistline will also enhance your upper torso, and the bottom flare will help hide your stomach and hip area. Always wear darker colours with intricate embroidery to bring attraction to the dress instead of the body shape. You can also go for a lehenga with a longer blouse.

INVERTED TRIANGLE: Broad shoulders, smaller bust, straight waist, slim hips and long legs. Upper body is more visible than the bottom.

Those with this body shape are known to have a “athletic” figure or a “supermodel” figure, so don’t be afraid to highlight your best features!

Recommendations: Wear a lehenga with intricate details and a lot of flare to make your lower body seem fuller. Stay away from tops that are fully embellished and those with off-the-shoulder, and halter necklines as this will increase your shoulder width. Go for a sweetheart and round neckline with three-quarter sleeves. Clothing styles that are tighter towards the bottom should be avoided, for example, a fish-cut lehenga or fish-cut gowns since our main objective is to volumize the hips.

KIRAN + KELLY

#BRIDESOFLAVISH

#GROOMSOFLAVISH

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Enjoy this glimpse into Kiran and Kelly's wedding from this past summer. Kiran and Kelly came to us with an idea and we created exactly that! We love when our clients choose to get creative with the endless options we have to offer them! Kiran and Kelly opted with pine green as their main bridal color, moving away from the common color palettes of reds and pinks. Green is such a versatile and refreshing color for wedding festivities and can be worn for either indoor or outdoor events!

With copious amounts of gold and pink embroidery standing out against the rich dark green fabric, Kiran's lehenga was one of our favorite creations from the 2021 wedding season!

Let's talk about the brides lehenga! Arsh's lehenga design is a blend of Sabyasachi and summery vibes. Focusing on our commitment to quality and intricacy, her lehenga features handwork anmol gold embroidery, with a focus on pearl and thread work. The white pearls throughout her lehenga and the subtle hints of peach, pink, green, and mint tones brighten the exquisite workmanship, enhancing her natural glow. The classic sweetheart neckline, elbow-length sleeves, and an raw silk base fabric brings together her entire look! The matte shadows and bright kundan jewelry balanced one another out, giving Arsh an elegant yet regal wedding day look. She is definitely one of the prettiest brides we have ever seen and loved to work with!

To complement the bride's palette of peaches, pinks, greens, mint and off-white tones, we combined both the off-white and peach shades into the groom's attire. With off-white threadwork all over, referred to as chikankari, the coordination of the two outfits could not be more harmonious. The minimalist peach hues within the embroidery on Jaskaran's sherwani also added to the coordination and emphasized the color in both their outfits. When working with a vast color palette, pick a color that dominates the brides outfit. This way, the color in both of their outfits will "combine" together to capture the light- just like we did with the peach here! Try to keep both the looks clean and elegant than trying to overly "matchy match" with one another.

POONAM + MANDEEP

#BRIDESOFLAVISH

#GROOMSOFLAVISH

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Such a stunning couple, Poonam and Mandeep! Poonam wore an elegant summery light green lehenga with peach, pink, gold and green accents. Did you know the base of her lehenga and blouse was completely filled with sequins! This piece is one of our exclusive designs and something super elegant! Mandeep got a custom raw silk sherwani with intricate embroidery around the collar and pocket square paired with a light green pagg and phalla. Such a stunning combo - a inspiration for sure! Scroll down to view the amazing couple!

This coordination is one of the hardest to find, yet the best one if done properly. The amount of embroidery colours is crazy and it almost gets very impossible to match the exact same embroidery colour with one another. However, if you go with customization, that makes it much easier. With this technique, you want to contrast the colour of the embroidery on the bride's outfit to the embroidery of the groom’s outfit. For instance, in the image above, the embroidery on the bride’s outfit is rose gold and the motifs on the sherwani are of the same colour. Another way to work with this technique is to get one motif made below the pocket on the sherwani made from the same embroidery material of the bride’s outfit.

2. Match the groom’s dupatta, pocket square and/or turban with the bride’s outfit fabric and colour.

Once the bride has picked her outfit, the groom can pick his outfit accordingly. To do this, pick a colour from the bride's outfit, whether that is the base colour, the motif detail, the trim, or the second dupatta and incorporate the colour into the groom’s outfit. For example, if the bride’s outfits has some red, the groom can go for a cream/off-white sherwani with a red turban and dupatta/phalla. The goal is to select one colour from the bride’s outfit and incorporate it into the groom’s attire.

3. Coordinate using family colours.

Image Credits: Sabyasachi

This sort of combination is one that stands out and is very unique. Both the bride and groom should select a colour and play around with it. The idea is going from dark to light or vice versa, forming a shaded effect. You don’t want to pick two shades that are very similar - they should have an ombre effect. Some of the best colours that work best for this technique are peach, red, purple, green, blue, and pink. For example, in the image above, the bride and groom went tonal with green. This not only helps make both stand out equally but also looks very well coordinated.

4. Match the groom's jewellery to the bride's outfit colour.

Another way to coordinate is by matching the groom’s jewelry to the bride’s outfit colour. Groom’s are usually shy when it comes to dressing up, but girls, we can all admit how charming it is when a guy dresses up and adds those extra little things to his look! These extra little things can be something just as little as a necklace. For instance, the bride in the picture is wearing a maroon lehenga and the groom complimented by wearing a maroon necklace over an off-white sherwani. Not only did this give it a classy and elegant look, but it also balanced both the groom and bride. In order for the jewelry piece to stand out, make sure the groom wears a light coloured sherwani!

5. Coordinate using complementary colours.

With this technique, you want to choose two colours that are not necessarily matching but still look great together. This can be very eye-catching, however, be sure to choose the right colours. Contrasting pastels work well together and are very easy to work with. Some of the best pastel shades are power pinks and blues, salmon, lavender, or muted yellows. If you don’t want to go for pastels, here is another list of contrasting colours that work well together.

If the bride is wearing red or maroon, the groom can opt for beige, white, cream or peach
If the bride is wearing hot pink, the groom can opt for beige, white, cream, light pink, mint green, royal blue, navy blue or emerald green
If the bride is wearing pastel pink, the groom can opt for beige, white, cream, grey, black, navy blue, baby blue or mint green
If the bride is wearing dark blue, the groom can opt for beige, white, cream, dark blue, pastel pink, peach, or light blue
If the bride is wearing gold, the groom can opt for cream, white, emerald green, maroon, navy blue, black, purple, and pink

Lavish Bridal Couture

MANIKA'S BREATHTAKING HINDU WEDDING

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Presenting our beautiful bride Manika! We received so much love after posting her bridal portraits on our social media. This lehenga was definitely a gem from our bridal collection and Manika definitely styled it well! We absolutely loved her look!

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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KAMAL'S ELEGANT SIKH WEDDING

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Presenting our beautiful bride Kamal from Edmonton, Alberta in a breathtaking Sabyasachi inspired bridal lehenga!

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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GURKEERAT + HARMAN

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Presenting Gurkeerat and Harman's bollywood feels wedding!

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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JASMINE + HARMEET

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Presenting Jasmine and Harmeet's Sikh wedding in Calgary, Alberta.

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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SHARAN + GURJIT

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Presenting our beautiful bride and groom from in custom bridal and reception pieces!

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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SUKHJIT + SUMEET

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Presenting Sukhjit and Sumeet from Edmonton, Alberta in custom bridal.

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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MINUSHA + AMARDEEP

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Here's a match made in heaven, Minusha and Amardeep!

So, brides when in doubt wear a red bridal lehenga and flaunt it like a diva because you can never go wrong with the classic bride in red look! Take inspiration from this floral zardozi and threadwork lehenga where too much of embroidery and heavyweight is not a worry!

Do you know the significance behind the color red in Indian weddings? The color red plays a huge role in Indian culture as the symbol of marriage. It signifies anything auspicious and is considered to indicate sensuality, purity and fertility.

Here are some classic additions to add to your red bridal lehenga that will give you the classic bridal look:

Neckline: Opt for either a Sabyasachi sweetheart or round neckline. Both of the necklines can be used for the front and back necks of our blouse!

Sleeves: Keeping in mind the sweetheart/round neckline, elbow-length or 3/4 sleeves will work really well!

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

__________

ASHLEY'S INTIMATE BACKYARD WEDDING

__________

Presenting our beautiful bride Ashley from Edmonton, Alberta in custom bridal and reception attire!

In addition, she wanted a layered look, so we added a chiffon frilled layer at the bottom of her lehenga with the dominant motif pattern encircling the entire flare. We loved this little addition to her lehenga and loved how it turned out to be the true eye catcher of Ashley's entire look!

VIEW THE FULL GALLERY BELOW

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TIPS FOR TALL AND PETITE BRIDES

__________

We can all admit that those who are tall wanna be short, and those who are short wanna be tall and then there’s those that are perfectly fine. However, there is no right or wrong height but there is a way to dress for your height.

PETITE BRIDES

Keep it simple: avoid oversized chunky embroidery, this will make you look overwhelmed and also keep borders to minimum

The lehenga should be tied around your navel and should end a few inches below your feet - have at least 3-4 inches of space between the blouse and lehenga

Avoid trails and puffy princess type of dresses

Show off your neck and shoulders with modern cuts and necklines (halter, cold shoulders, boat neck, off-the-shoulder, illusion necklines, etc)

Avoid large motifs, instead, go for patterned intricate embroidery

Go for panelled lehenga to make you look taller

Avoid stiff fabric (brocade, tissue)

Try to wear a lehenga rather than a one-piece dress. The lehenga top and bottom gap helps pop out your upper body and lower body separately, whereas a one-piece may look a little unflattering

Avoid low waistlines-help your overall look appear tall

Make sure your dupatta isn’t too heavy. You can go for two dupatta’s, a lighter one for the head and the lehenga dupatta on the side or draped on your body

Instead of a multicoloured outfit, go for with just one colour this gives the illusion of being taller

Choose an outfit with front slits to add vertical lines giving the illusion of height

Try outfits that are floor length and not ankle length

TALL BRIDES

Are you above the 5’5” height? Then high-five! Not many people have these genes! Taller people usually have many more options when deciding their wedding dress. Here are some tips for tall brides and how they can easily rock wearing each and every type of dress.

Sarees make any women look gorgeous, but those who are tall have a high raise torso that gives you the advantage of flaunting your waist

Long gowns with deep necks look stunning

Lehenga with a short blouse enhance the tall body

Two dupattas always look better

Halter neck (according to body shape)

Avoid high heels since you already have long legs

Avoid extra embroidery to highlight your height

Bright colours such as hot pink, bright red, coral, and blue seems perfect for taller girls

Avoid wearing two colours, this breaks your height and makes you seem a bit shorter

THE MOST FLATTERING INDIAN WEAR ACCORDING TO YOUR BODY SHAPE

__________

To make things easier, here is a guide based on our experience for picking the right wedding dress. The 5 general categories of body shapes are:

Hourglass

Pear