BENGALURU: Wearing numerous gold jewelleries with a red saree or lehenga is a traditional streak that most women dream of adorning on their D-Day. But gone are the days when brides want to show off their gold possessions. With costume jewellery making headlines for being a trendy accessory, it has also taken over the bridal list in recent times.
Yashika Arora, who designs jewellery for Abhika Creations, says it might look fun but brides also go through the peer pressure of keeping up with trends, without repeating the same jewellery for various functions. “Brides want to don different looks for different functions. With gold jewellery, they have their limitations,” says Arora. Shining light on the affordability factor, she adds, “A lot of stone and pearl work or even kundan works are in trend, but getting the originals done are going to cost you a fortune,” says the 23-year-old jewellery designer.
With changing times and various factors like variety and practicality, weddings are not just about going for loud colours, as some brides also want to flash unconventional colours. Pranshu Garg, founder of Tantu Design, says along with conventional colours on bridal wear like red, orange and fuchsia, women are also going for off-white and pastel colours. Thus, jewellery preferences have changed to keep in sync with these colours. “Golden jewellery will always be popular due to an emotional touch, but brides are also ready to experiment. They prefer to design costume jewellery for many rituals, so that there is a different look for various events,” she says. When brides go for a heavier neckline or embroidery on their garments, they do not prefer to wear heavy jewellery, adds Garg. “They try and complete the look with a single statement piece,” she says. Garg also mentions that brides these days want to let loose and enjoy their wedding with friends and family, and going for something light always helps.
Brides may go the extra mile to make their wedding special but that does not stop them from bringing their practical side on the shore to decide their look. Manpreet Kaur, who recently tied the knot, says most of the days are spent in office, so gold jewellery is hardly of any use in daily life. “Wedding is already an expensive affair, and jewellery is the most expensive item in a bride trousseau. There is no point spending so much of money on jewellery that will be hardly used. I could probably invest the same in a better way,” says the 26-year-old newly-wed, who is a software engineer at Infosys.