A Quick Recap of All The Stunning Wedding Lehengas and Saris Worn By Bollywood Celebrities

The true essence of Indian culture—albeit drawn from its turbulent history, rich heritage, spirituality, and religiosity—can also be perceived from the quintessential 'big, fat wedding', and how it is celebrated across regions, religions; bringing to the forefront diverse forms of Indian garments, jewels, local crafts, and rituals, deeply rooted in age-old, passed-down traditions.

The multi-day affair, celebrating the union of two souls, has undoubtedly become our greatest cultural export to the world, with the bridal attire gaining ever-so much attention. The wedding lehenga, or sari, most often in a deep red hue, holds immense cultural significance, dating back to the glorious Mughal era. As per tradition, the auspicious colour red represents the Hindu goddess Durga, who symbolises new beginnings, feminine power, and prosperity. 

Over the past few decades, Indian brides have been revamping their wedding look, owing to the umpteen paradigm shifts in the wedding business. This, in turn, has welcomed contemporary bridal designs and silhouettes, incorporating elements that are a nod to our traditional sentiments. The sartorial elegance of the Bollywood industry has been a game-changer in the bridalwear space—with leading actors donning customised designer outfits, resplendent with plush embroideries and remarkable detailing—setting the stage for a novel understanding of Indian bridal fashion.   

From lightweight ensembles that strike the perfect balance between comfort and chic to a more heavily embellished attire, here's a recap of Bollywood's best bridal-dressed. 

 

Rhea Kapoor in a chanderi sari by Anamika Khanna

 

On her big day, Rhea Kapoor, film producer and costume designer, went an unconventional route by donning an elegant white sari by designer Anamika Khanna. Instead of wearing bridal red, such as her sister Sonam Kapoor, Rhea opted for a tone-on-tone thread work sari, draped over a half-sleeved blouse, with a cape in tones of ivory and gold. She spruced up her wedding look with a Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas vintage veil made up of numerous mini-pearls.  

 

Image Source: Rhea Kapoor's Instagram 

 

Dia Mirza in a silk brocade sari by Raw Mango

 

For her wedding with businessman Vaibhav Rekhi, Dia donned a 'Chokadi' Varanasi silk brocade sari, featuring floral 'barfi' jaal with 'butas', paired with a 'Rridha' silk blouse and a customised 'Nafisa' organza odhani, all by Raw Mango. 

 

Image Source: Dia Mirza's Instagram 

 

Patralekhaa Paul in tulle embroidered Buti sari by Sabyasachi 

 

For her intimate wedding at the Oberoi Sukhvilas Spa Resort in Chandigarh, Patralekhaa donned a Sabyasachi creation. She wore a red tulle embroidered Buti sari, paired with an embroidered veil that was inscribed with a Bengali verse penned by Sabyasachi, to mark the special day:

“আমার পরান ভরা ভালোবাসা আমি তোমায় সমর্পণ করিলাম।”

 

Image Source: Patralekhaa's Instagram

 

Katrina Kaif in a traditional red bridal lehenga by Sabyasachi 

 

For her hush-hush wedding to Vicky Kaushal, the star wore a classic Sabyasachi red bridal lehenga in handwoven matka silk with fine tilla work and meticulously embroidered revival zardozi borders in velvet. In homage to the groom’s Punjabi roots, her veil was custom-trimmed with handmade Kiran in hand-beaten silver electroplated in gold.

 

Image Source: Katrina Kaif's Instagram 

 

Natasha Dalal in her own creation, a light gold tulle lehenga 

 

In an exclusive interview with Brides Today, Natasha Dalal decoded her bridal look for her nuptials with actor Varun Dhawan. "For the wedding ceremony and dinner, I designed a light gold tulle lehenga which was inspired by one of my favourite design styles of the 20s Art Deco. The design details featured geometric and abstract florals. It had two dupattas—one, floor-length head dupatta with delicate floral details, and another draped dupatta with geometric triangular motifs. My favourite aspect of the outfit was the back of the blouse, a cut-out back mimicking butterfly wings, a shape that was again a nod to the deco era. The wedding lehenga was prepared in layers of light gold tulle, with shades of gold and silver embroidery. It had alternate layers of floral and geometric embroidery in sequins, beads, and crystals to create a shimmery effect," she said. 

 

Image Source: India Today

 

Anushka Ranjan in a pastel purple lehenga by Manish Malhotra

 

For her wedding to actor Aditya Seal, Anushka Ranjan wore a lilac-hued wedding lehenga by designer Manish Malhotra, with delicate silver embroidery on the sheer sleeves and torso and sequinned tassels on the hem. In addition, she draped a sheer embroidered dupatta on her head. 

 

Image Source: Anushka Ranjan's Instagram

 

Yami Gautam in her mother's vintage silk sari

 

The Uri actor donned an heirloom lehenga on her D-day! Dating 33 years, the silk sari was in a shade of bright maroon-red, with delicate gold embellishment and a floral-motif blouse. On her head a draped dupatta sent by her maternal grandmother, who couldn't be present for the ceremony. She accessorised her attire with Pahadi style jewellery, including a nath, a maang-tikka, and kaleeras. 

 

Image Source: Yami Gautam's Instagram 

 

To see the full list of Bollywood celebrity bridal outfits, click *here*