Wedding Trends 2020: Moving Away From The Conventional

There was a time when the thought of a traditional Indian wedding brought images of marigold flowers, heavy pink and gold décor, and elaborate lighting in our minds. However, as people got more and more exposed to cultures all across the world, thanks to the advent of the Internet, their vision expanded and they moved away from the traditional mould of typical Indian wedding paraphernalia – be it in décor, accessories or their sartorial choices.

Today, when it comes to Indian weddings, we see the incorporation of quirky pieces such as umbrellas, mirrors, fun light bulbs and paper lanterns in the décor; we see brides arriving in decked auto-rickshaws and bikes at their weddings; orchids, tulips, peonies and succulents amp up the vibrancy.

Sanna Vohra, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ‘The Wedding Brigade’, an all-inclusive online Indian wedding platform, attributes this wide array of experimentation to social media.

“Obviously with the rise of social media, brides are quickly exposed to what other people are wearing at their wedding. And of course, every bride wants to stand out in her outfit choices and do things that are different and unique. A redlehenga,Kundan jewellery has been done a lot. Now we see much more experimentation with colours. I see brides trying really fun blouse designs - off-shoulders, puffy sleeves ones, ruffles, and the one with attacheddupattas. Even when it comes to jewellery, many brides are ditching the traditional combo for more unique pieces –temple jewellery, silver jewellery, or OTT ones that just refreshes the outfit a little bit more,” she says.

In 2020, we are expecting a lot of calm, chic and rustic, décor, with pastel shags and white flowers. Sanna adds, 'Again, people want to get away from the conventional ‘big entrance’ décor and move towards more of a sophisticated palette with different kinds of lighting, candles, and chandeliers to create the mood. People are now gravitating towards doing their décor in different shades of one colour - keeping it a bit more subtle and muted rather than making it a riot of hues, where people tend to put in 10-12 colours, all in one function.'

And lastly, we will see a lot of thematic décors. According to her, “People don’t just want to do amehendi or asangeet; they want to do a 'Game of Thrones'sangeet or an under-the-seamehendi. We see people opting for thematic décor to make sure all their functions are different from one another. There is a clear world and vibe that they create at each of the functions.'

Lastly, accessories. “So, the first thing is funky shoes. Brides want to add spunk (read sneakers and chunky heals) to their outfits, mostly for ceremonies like amehendi or asangeet. Earlier, there was not much experimenting with the bridal footwear but not we see a lot of new trends. Belt bags from Papa Don’t Preach, clutches in fun shapes and structures are also going to become a favourite.”

The guests also put their best foot forward so obviously, the bride will make that extra effort and push boundaries because when else in her life will she get the chance to do it. “We just see brides taking more risks, experimenting more, being a little bolder and just bringing the elements of fun into bridal fashion,” she concludes.